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UN8VERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT   LOS  ANGELES 


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THE  ALLISON  MONUMENT  ON  THE  CAPITOL  GROUNDS  AT 
DES  MOINES 


IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 


BY 


ALISON  E.  AITCHISON 

IOWA    STATE    TEACHERS    COLLEGE,  CEDAR    FALLS,  IOWA 


GINN  AND  COMPANY 

BOSTON  ■  NEW  YORK  •  CHICAGO  •  LONDON 
ATLANTA  •  DALLAS  ■  COLUMBUS  •  SAN  FRANCISCO 


COPVRKillT,  V>2\,  BY  CINN   AND  COMPANY 
All.  Kllill  IS    KKSKKVr.ll 

821.7 


GINN  AND  COMPANY  •  PRO- 
PRIETORS •  BOSTON  •  U.S.A. 


PREFACE 

A  clear  conception  of  the  plan  and  purpose  of  this  book  will 
save  worry  and  unnecessary  work  on  the  part  of  both  the  pupils 
and  the  teacher. 

It  has  been  customary  to  follow  the  regular  textbooks  in 
geography  with  a  brief  state  supplement  made  up  of  salient 
unrelated  facts — a  sort  of  compendium  of  information  for  the 
pupil  who  had  completed  his   regular  course   in   geography. 
This  book  is  in  no  sense  a  supplement.    On  the  contrary,  it  is 
designed  to  be  used  as  a  separate  text  in  the  intermediate  grades. 
Due  allowance  being  made  for  local  variations  in  the  course  of 
study,  it  is  now  generally  conceded  that  this  sort  of  state  study 
should  precede  the  study  of  the  Central  Plains,  of  which  Iowa 
is  a  part,  and  the  sectional  study  of  the  United  States.    This 
text  therefore  begins  with  the  home  region  and  may  be  followed 
by  closely  related  larger  units.    It  is  taken  for  granted  that  the 
j^    pupil  knows  how  to  read  the  globe  and  the  map  of  North 
g    America ;  that  he  can  follow  meridians  and  parallels  and  can 
v5    understand  the  indications  of  highlands  and  lowlands  on  the 
X   map.    Necessary  maps  for  reference  are  included,  but  it  is  the 
aim  in  this  study  to  give  the  child  usable  knowledge  of  his  im- 
mediate environment  and  to  develop  his  ability  to  interpret 
properly  as  many  usable  related  facts  as  can  be  presented. 
Teachers  have  complained  that  it  is  difficult  to  find  proper 
jj  usable  material.    Much  that  is  available  has  been  written  for 
5   adults  and  is  beyond  the  ability  of  the  child  to  understand. 
^   It  is  the  purpose  of  this  book,  therefore,  to  furnish  proper 
material. 

Children  like  a  wealth  of  detail,  and  they  must  have  it  if  they 
are  to  acquire  adequate  mental  pictures.  If  it  is  not  supplied 
either  by  the  text  or  by  the  teacher,  little  wonder  that  to  the 
pupil  cities  become  merely  black  dots  and  rivers  wriggly  black 
lines.    To  illustrate  :   in  the  discussion  of  the  Mississippi  River 

821030 


vi  low  A  SIATK  (IKOGRAPHY 

an  fllort  has  brcii  niadi-  to  approac  h  the  subject  from  different 
angles  and  to  ii'wc  many  varied  yet  closely  related  facts,  with 
their  conseciuent  historic  results,  so  that  the  children  will 
really  come  to  know  the  beautiful  stream  on  whose  waters 
our  commerce  has  bei'u  carrit'd  and  on  whose  banks  our  history 
has  been  made. 

This  book  is  not  an  experiment.  The  success  of  the  plans 
and  material  has  already  been  demonstrated  in  many  Iowa 
schools. 

This  book  has  been  written  in  accordance  with  modern 
methods  of  geography  teaching.  Much  use  has  been  made  of 
the  problem  and  the  picture.  The  problems  are  very  simple 
and  easily  solved,  as  they  should  be  for  children  of  these 
grades.  Their  solution  involves  the  use  of  the  text,  the  pictures, 
the  maps,  and  the  knowledge  which  the  pupils  have  gained 
through  their  everyday  experiences.  The  pictures  in  the  text 
have  been  selected  for  well-defined  purposes  and  are  accom- 
panied by  explanations  and  questions.  They  are  intended  for 
use  in  teaching,  not  simply  for  decoration. 

The  statistics  which  are  incorporated  in  the  text  are  not  to 
be  memorized,  but  are  to  be  used  in  making  comparisons  and 
reaching  conclusions.  Similarly,  the  Facts  and  Figures  sec- 
tion at  the  close  of  the  book  is  included  not  for  teaching  purposes 
(in  the  ordinary  sense)  but  for  reference. 

It  is  hoped  that  this  geography  of  Iowa  may  give  those  who 
use  it  a  deeper  appreciation  of  and  a  greater  love  for  the 
state,  its  beauties,  and  its  possibilities. 

ALISON  E.  AITCHISON 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  '  PAGE 

I.  Getting  Acquainted  with  Ourselves i 

Why  do  we  Wish  to  Study  Iowa? i 

Is  Our  Location  a  Good  One? 3 

II.  The  Wonders  Beneath  Our  Feet 5 

The  Rocks  which  Lie  Beneath  us 5 

Iowa's  Coal  Fields .  8 

Our  Deserted  Lead  Mines 11 

The  Iron  Ore  of  Iron  Hill 14 

Our  Gypsum  Beds  and  Their  Uses 16 

HI.  Stories  of  the  Past  and  Present 17 

How  Iowa's  Soils  were  Made       17 

Iowa  Rivers 25 

The  Mississippi  River 25 

The  Missouri  River 33 

The  Des  Moines  River 36 

The  Tama  County  Indians 41 

Iowa's  Capital 45 

IV.  Iowa's  Greatest  Industry  —  Agriculture 52 

V.  Our  Chief  Crops 56 

Corn 56 

Wheat 61 

Oats 64 

Other  Farm  Products 65 

VI.  The  Live-Stock  Industry 68 

Swine 68 

Cattle 71 

Sheep 74 

Horses 76 

Poultry .  -11 


VIU 


IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 


ClIAJ'TEK  PAGE 

\II.    Tin-  Ni-w  Fak.mi.k 79 

\  111.    Iowa  Manufactukes 95 

Tiiii  CiiMENT  Mills 103 

Bkuk  and  TiLK 104 

Sl'GAK 105 

Button  Factokiks     109 

IX.     rUANSl'ORTATION Ill 

X.  Thic  Bikthkight  oi-'  the  Children  of  Iowa 126 

Education 126 

State  Parks  and  Other  Beauty  Spors 135 

XI.   Facts  and  Figures 145 

Leai)1N(;  Industries  of  Iowa 145 

The  Distribution  of  Factories 146 

Some  Things  the  People  in  Our  Towns  Make      .     .  147 

Iowa  Primarily  Agricultural 151 

Types  and  Breeds  of  Animals 153 

Hogs 153 

Cattle 154 

Horses 155 

Sheep 155 

Coal 155 

Other  Minerals 156 

A  Few  Facts  Worth  Remembering 157 

Population  Statistics 158 

INDEX 163 


SUGGESTIONS  TO  TEACHERS 

Doubtless  many  questions  will  arise  in  the  mind  of  the 
teacher  who  uses  this  text  for  the  first  time.  Three  immediately 
suggest  themselves  to  the  author : 

First,  in  the  Preface  it  was  urged  that  the  pupils  be  well 
grounded  in  the  use  of  the  map.  How  can  this  be  accomplished 
most  efficiently?  most  effectively? 

Second,  does  the  text  contain  more  material  than  can  be  used 
in  the  time  which  is  usually  allotted  to  the  study  of  Iowa 
geography  ? 

Third,  can  the  problem  method  be  used  successfully  in 
connection  with  the  material  here  given? 

The  following  method  of  teaching  the  globe  and  map  has 
been  used  throughout  the  state,  with  many  intermediate  classes 
in  geography,  and  teachers  have  found  it  satisfactory. 

I.  Reading  the  globe — before  any  map  work  is  done. 

(a)  Find  on  the  globe  the  continents  and  oceans.    Teach 
first   those  with  which   the   child   is   already   familiar 
through  his  study  of  peoples. 
(6)  Directions. 

(i)  North  and  south.  Find  the  north  pole.  When  go- 
ing toward  the  north  pole  you  are  going  north, 
when  going  toward  the  south  pole  you  are  going 
south.  Use  meridians  as  guides  as  naturally  as  you 
would  streets. 

(2)  East  and  west.  Keep  the  globe  always  with  the 
north  pole  pointing  toward  the  North  Star.  The 
earth  turns  from  west  to  east.  Use  a  candle  or 
electric  light  to  show  that  this  causes  the  sun  to 
rise  in  the  east.  Use  parallels  in  traveling  east  and 
west. 

(3)  Up  and  doivn.  Throw  a  ball  up  in  the  room. 
Move  your  hand  away  from  the  surface  of  the 


X  TOW  A  statp:  geography 

}j;l()I)c,    \  (HI  ail-  mt)\  iiig  it  up.    Move  it  toward  the 

surface.   \(>u  are  moving  it  down.   Down  is  toward 

the  center  of  the  earth.    Come  to  the  globe.    Play 

you  are  a  bo\'  in  Australia  and  throw  a  ball  up 

into  the  air. 

II.  Reading  the  map.    L'se  the  physical  map  of  North  America 

or  any  map  of  North  America  which  shows  meridians  and 

parallels  clearly.    Let  each  child  use  his  own  map,  placing  his 

book  flat  on  the  desk,  with  the  north  pole  toward  the  north 

if  possible. 

{a)  Find  the  north  pole  on  the  map.  Work  out  a  number  of 
such  exercises  as  these :  Place  your  linger  on  Cape 
Farewell  in  Greenland  and  move  straight  north.  Place 
one  hnger  on  Point  Barrow  in  Alaska  and  put  another 
finger  straight  south  of  it.  Do  not  teach  that  the  bottom 
of  the  map  is  south.  It  is  not  the  only  south.  Hundreds 
of  children  are  being  taught  this  and  are  hampered  in 
their  map-reading  forever  because  of  this  teaching.  In 
any  school  system  you  can  find  a  score  of  children  who 
wnll  tell  you  that  Greenland  is  southeast  of  the  north 
pole.  Teach  east  and  west  simply  by  transferring  the 
direction  lines  already  learned  on  the  globe! 
(6)  Surface.  This  will  have  to  be  taught  from  a  physical 
map.  The  newer  geographies  have  these  in  abundance. 
Teach  how  to  use  the  color  keys  in  studying  the  heights 
of  land. 
(c)  Drainage.  Teach  the  direction  of  river  flow.  Trace  a 
few  river  basins. 

Fourth,  the  general  textbook  in  geography  must  make  its  con- 
tact through  the  home  state.  An  effort  has  been  made  here  to 
show  the  individuality  of  this  state.  It  differs  in  some  ways 
from  the  other  forty-seven.  Human  geography  is  the  study 
of  the  relation  of  geographic  environment  to  human  activities. 
We  are  trying  to  make  the  children  realize  that  there  are  rea- 
sons why  the  people  of  Iowa  live  as  they  do  ;  that  our  work  and 
our  wealth  are  the  results  of  our  physical  environment. 

Many  of  the  facts  and  figures  given  are  not  intended  to  be 
remembered  ;  they  are  to  be  used  simply  in  helping  the  child  to 
reason  out  why  certain  things  have  come  to  be.    It  is  intended 


SUGGESTIONS  TO  TEACHERS  xi 

that  the  child  shall  do  a  good  deal  of  reading  in  the  text  for  each 
lesson,  rather  than  that  he  shall  be  given  an  assignment  of  a 
few  pages  and  told  to  commit  it  to  memory,  as  is  frequently 
done.  Children  of  this  age  are  interested  in  how  people  live 
and  what  they  do.  They  do  not  want  nor  do  they  need  scat- 
tering, unrelated  facts  about  locations  of  cities  and  the  names 
of  county  seats,  a  sentence  here  and  a  sentence  there.  They 
need  enough  of  related,  worth-while  details  to  enable  them 
to  build  some  accurate  mental  picture  or  reach  some  con- 
clusion. You  might,  for  example,  expect  to  find  a  chapter  on 
climate,  but  there  is  no  excuse  for  introducing  that  subject 
here  except  as  it  affects  the  crops  we  raise,  the  type  of  house 
we  build,  the  food  we  eat,  or  something  else  that  actually 
affects  the  child.  If  you  will  notice,  the  subject  of  climate 
is  brought  up  time  and  time  again,  but  always  with  refer- 
ence to  some  of  its  effects — the  erosion  of  rock,  the  homes 
of  the  pioneers,  the  question  of  road-making — thus  making  its 
effects  the  key  to  its  study.  If  you  find  that  there  is  too  much 
material,  omit  the  part  which  least  concerns  the  group  of 
children  with  which  you  are  working.  While  we  do  not  wish  to 
assign  work  which  is  to  be  unthinkingly  memorized,  on  the 
other  hand  we  must  make  sure  that  the  child  carries  away  with 
him  something  definite. 

Fifth,  the  problem  method  can  be  used  in  the  teaching  of  this 
Iowa  geography.  Much  of  the  material  has  been  arranged 
with  this  in  view.  Not  every  lesson,  however,  is  adapted  to 
that  method  of  teaching.  Why  try  to  use  it  everywhere  ?  When 
a  problem  will  enable  you  to  teach  a  set  of  geographic  principles 
better  than  some  other  method  will,  then  use  a  problem  and  find 
pleasure  and  interest  and  profit  both  for  yourself  and  your 
pupils.  A  problem  may  be  made  worse  drudgery  than  any 
drill  if  used  simply  because  someone  thinks  you  ought  to  teach 
by  that  method. 

There  are  two  things  to  be  considered  in  assigning  a  lesson 
in  this  way:  first,  the  problem  should  be  something  which 
appeals  to  the  present  interest  of  the  child,  directs  him  in  his 
search  for  material,  and  gives  him  a  basis  for  selecting  and 


Ml 


low  A  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 


rejecting  facts;  second,  it  iinist  enable  the  teacher  to  teach 
the  facts  which  she  thinks  ought  to  be  taught  concerning  any 
region  or  industry,  and  the  principles  which  underlie  those 
facts,  rill'  text  introduces  ilozens  of  possible  problems.  They 
are  not  labeled.  To  do  so  would  rob  them  of  their  value. 
If  they  do  not  appeal  to  you  individually  as  usable  in  your 
classes,  then  take  some  other  problem  or  some  other  means 
of  approach.  The  material  for  the  solution  of  most  of  these 
problems  is  in  the  text,  so  that  the  children  may  solve  them. 
In  the  back  of  the  book  you  will  find  material  for  many  more 
local  problems  if  you  have  time  for  them.  Thus,  the  study 
of  the  cement  industry,  which  might  be  made  by  a  class  in 
Mason  City,  would  be  very  different  from  that  which  might  be 
made  by  a  class  in  another  locality.  References  to  the  map 
have  been  made  constantly.  This  is  the  simplest  way  to  teach 
location.  Every  possible  effort  has  been  made  to  relate  this 
to  the  everyday  life  of  the  child  and  to  utilize  facts  he  already 
knows. 

It  is  the  hope  of  the  author  that  this  text  will  make  the  study 
of  Iowa  geography  enjoyable  and  profitable  both  to  teacher 
and  pupils  and  lead  them  away  from  the  mere  memorizing  of 
facts  of  little  value. 


IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 

CHAPTER  I 

GETTING  ACQUAINTED  WITH  OURSELVES 

Why  do  we  Wish  to  Study  Iowa  ? 

We  are  planning  to  spend  some  time  studying  Iowa.  What 
do  we  want  to  learn  about  our  own  state?  Less  than  one 
hundred  years  ago  there  were  no  white  men  living  in  Iowa. 
The  only  inhabitants  were  Indians.  Today  we  have  over  two 
and  a  third  millions  of  white  people.  Then  there  were  no  roads 
except  a  few  Indian  trails,  no  railroads,  no  houses  except 
Indian  wigwams,  no  cultivated  fields  except  a  few  patches  of 
corn,  no  poultry,  no  cattle,  no  towns,  no  factories,  no  schools, 
no  churches.  In  less  than  one  hundred  years  all  these  have 
come  to  Iowa. 

Long  ago  in  the  early  history  of  this  section  of  the  country, 
before  Iowa  had  become  a  state  and  while  the  Indians  still 
owned  the  land  here,  a  great  many  white  men  were  so  anxious 
to  come  across  the  Mississippi  River  into  this  region  that  the 
United  States  government  had  to  keep  a  force  of  soldiers  at  the 
place  where  Dubuque  now  stands,  to  prevent  them  from  coming 
in  and  thus  breaking  our  treaty  with  the  Indians.  We  are  told 
that  a  few  years  later,  when  white  men  were  permitted  to  come 
into  the  territory  to  settle,  the  hills  across  the  river  opposite  the 
spot  where  Burlington  now  stands  used  to  blaze  at  night  with 
the  camp  fires  of  the  immigrants.  They  were  waiting  to  be 
ferried  across  the  Mississippi  to  begin  their  long  journey  across 
our  prairies,  where  they  hoped  to  make  new  homes  (Fig.  i). 

Can  you  mention  some  of  the  things  which  in  those  early 
days  might  have  attf acted  settlers  to  Iowa  ? 


2  low  A  SIA I K  GEOGRAPHY 

\\i'  still  ha\i'  most  ot  llu»si'  attractions  and  a  great  many 
others.  Some  people  say  that  the  Indian  word  Iowa  means 
"this  is  the  land."  We  believe  that  this  is  the  land  for  us. 
It  we  are  to  live  here  we  wish  to  earn  the  very  best  living 
which  the  state  is  able  to  afford  us  and  to  enjoy  everything 
which  the  state  has  to  offer  us.  We  want  to  learn  what  we  can 
do  to  make  Iowa  a  better  place  to  live  in  and  how  we  can  leave 
it  in  the  best  possible  condition  for  those  who  come  after  us. 


Fig.  I.    This  wagon  bridge  aciu:-;  Uic  i\lj.^:3i.-i.-ipiJi  al  iJuiliiiKl-un  i;,  near  thu  place 
where  so  many  of  the  early  settlers  were  ferried  across  the  river 


We  shall  therefore  need  to  know  many  things  about  our  soil 
and  climate.  Since  we  have  beautiful  scenery  we  want  to  know 
where  to  find  it  when  we  have  opportunities  to  make  trips  about 
the  state.  We  must  learn  to  find  the  answers  to  such  questions 
as  this :  What  are  some  of  the  reasons  why  Iowa,  with  an  area 
of  fifty-six  thousand  one  hundred  and  forty-seven  square  miles, 
has  more  than  two  and  a  third  million  people,  while  New 
Mexico,  which  is  more  than  twice  as  large,  has  not  even  half 
a  million  inhabitants? 

If  you  had  a  friend  outside  of  Iowa  who  wished  to  move  to  a 
new  home,  could  you  write  him  a  letter  showing  Iowa  to  be  so 
attractive  that  he  would  want  to  move  here  ?  WTien  we  have 
finished  studying  the  book  you  shall  try.   . 


GETTING  ACQUAINTED  WITH  OURSELVES       3 

Is  Our  Location  a  Good  One? 

As  we  study  about  Iowa  we  shall  often  refer  to  the  other 
parts  of  the  United  States ;  we  shall  therefore  first  find  out 
just  how  we  are  located  in  our  country  and  judge  whether  or 
not  our  position  is  a  good  one. 

Turn  to  the  map  of  the  United  States  (p.  4).  Notice  what 
states  and  rivers  bound  Iowa.  Using  the  scale  of  miles  given 
on  this  map,  find  out  how  many  miles  it  is  from  the  capital  of 
Iowa  due  east  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean ;  due  south  to  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico ;  due  west  to  the  Pacific  Ocean ;  and  due  north  to 
the  boundary  of  Canada.  Between  what  parallels  of  latitude 
does  Iowa  lie  ?  Counting  seventy  miles  to  each  degree  of  lati- 
tude, find  out  how  many  miles  the  southern  boundary  of  Iowa 
is  from  the  equator.  How  many  degrees  farther  from  the  equa- 
tor is  the  northern  boundary  of  Iowa  than  the  southern  ?  How 
many  miles  js  it  across  the  state  from  north  to  south  ?  Between 
what  parallels  of  longitude  does  Iowa  lie? 

The  state  lies  just  far  enough  away  from  the  equator  and  far 
enough  from  the  great  oceans  to  have  the  long,  hot  summer 
days  which  help  to  make  it  the  fine  corn  state  that  it  is.  What 
is  meant  by  the  corn  belt  ?  What  does  the  distance  from  the 
ocean  have  to  do  with  the  heat  of  our  summers  ?  Iowa  is  near 
enough  to  the  Gulf  of  INIexico  to  have  plenty  of  rain  brought 
to  it  by  the  winds  which  come  from  the  south  and  southeast. 
If  we  were  farther  away,  as  are  Nebraska  and  the  Dakotas, 
we  should  have  less  moisture. 

New  York  City  on  the  Atlantic  coast  is  the  largest  American 
city.  Find  it  on  the  map  of  the  United  States.  Point  in 
the  direction  in  which  you  would  go  to  reach  it, —  not  on  the 
map,  but  from  your  school.  Let  us  find  out  how  long  it  would 
take  to  make  the  trip  to  New  York.  By  what  railroad  should 
you  leave  your  town  ?  Consult  a  railroad  map.  Trace  your 
route  as  far  as  Chicago.  How  long  does  it  take  to  go  there? 
How  much  does  it  cost  at  three  cents  per  mile?  You  would 
change  to  another  railroad  there.  Choose  one  of  the  leading 
routes  and  find  how  far  it  is  from  Chicago  to  New  York. 


4  IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 

Trace  the  trip.  I'ind  out  how  long  it  would  take  and  how  much 
thi>  railroad  fare  would  be  at  three  cents  per  mile. 

As  you  look  at  the  map  of  Iowa  (Fig.  82)  you  notice  that  it 
has  many  railroads.  In  what  directions  do  most  of  them  run? 
There  are  several  reasons  why  we  have  so  many  railroads.  The 
state  lies  in  the  shortest  path  between  Chicago  and  the  Pacific 
coast.  The  surface  of  Iowa  is  level,  and  railroads  are  more 
cheaply  and  easily  built  here  than  in  a  rougher  region.  In  the 
third  place,  Iowa  has  a  large  amount  of  grain  and  live  stock  to 
ship  out  and  can  afford  to  have  many  other  things  imported. 
You  can  find  on  page  123  the  names  of  some  of  the  most 
important  railroads.  What  is  a  trunk  line?  Locate  six  trunk 
lines  on  the  map  in  this  book  (Fig.  82). 

Now  you  may  write  an  answer  to  the  question  at  the  head 
of  this  section  and  include  in  it  several  reasons  for  your  answer. 
Look  at  the  map  of  the  United  States  and  choose  some  other 
state  to  compare  with  Iowa  on  these  points. 


West         92        from          87     Greenwich    82 


u:nited  states 


SCALE  OF  MILES 

0  50  100    200 


300    100    SOO    600 


-20 


92 


.  -fc  .    ^    NEWENGLAJTD 

V, '■':    ^                        AND  COAST  OF 
'^f^       r  . . 


i;    ^  AND  COAST  OF 

*     '         XIDDIiE  ATLASTIC  STATES  1 
'  (on  enlarged  matt) 


CharUt       " 
.fleniT,  •Tjj^ 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  WONDERS  BENEATH  OUR  FEET 

The  Rocks  which  Lie  Beneath  us 

If  you  should  dig  down  through  the  soil  in  your  garden  or 
field,  in  time  you  would  come  to  solid  rock.  In  some  parts  of 
the  state  you  would  have  to  go  down  only  a  few  feet,  in  other 
places  hundreds  of  feet.  This  solid  rock  is  known  as  bed  rock. 
Ask  someone  who  has  dug  a  well  in  your  neighborhood  whether 
he  can  tell  how  far  it  is  down  to  bed  rock.  We  shall  find  out 
how  this  bed  rock  was  made. 

Let  us  imagine  ourselves  back  in  the  period  when  all  Iowa 
and  all  the  Mississippi  basin  was  a  great  ocean.  Then  the  only 
land  in  what  is  now  our  continent  of  North  America  was  in 
what  is  now  the  Appalachian  Mountains  and  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains. Look  on  a  map  of  North  America  and  see  how  large  that 
old  ocean  must  have  been.  Imagine  if  you  can  that  in  the  part 
of  that  ocean  which  today  is  our  state  there  were  millions  and 
millions  of  little  shell-covered  animals  and  coral  animals  with 
limy  skeletons,  growing  in  great  reefs  or  banks,  in  shallow,  clear 
water.  Corals  are  growing  in  just  this  same  way  today  around 
the  shores  of  Florida.  When  these  animals  died,  their  shells 
and  skeletons  were  broken  up  into  fine  pieces.  These  sank  to  the 
bottom  of  the  ocean,  and,  with  the  lime  which  was  constantly 
being  added  by  the  waters  running  from  the  land,  built  up 
the  great  beds  of  limestone  that  lie  under  the  soil  in  so  many 
Iowa  counties.  Have  you  ever  seen  a  place  where  the  layers 
of  limestone  were  very  near  the  surface  of  the  ground  ? 

In  a  great  many  places  in  the  state  the  limestone  is  quarried 
and  used  for  building  and  bridge  work,  or  is  crushed  for  road- 
making,  or  is  burned  to  make  the  lime  which  is  used  in  plaster- 
ing your  houses. 

I  5 


6  IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 

Most  of  the  liinestone  which  is  iisrd  in  building  churches  and 
schools  and  ollu-r  jnihlic  buildings  comes  from  other  states, 
since  nuich  of  ours  crumbles  too  easily  to  make  buildings  which 
will  last.  Scott,  Jones,  Dubuciue,  and  Lee  arc  important  coun- 
ties in  the  jiroduction  of  this  stone.    In  what  part  of  the  state 


Fig.  2.  In  this  limestone  quarry  great  saws  cut  down  through  the  layers  of 
rock,  separating  the  stone  into  blocks.  Then  wedges  are  driven  between  the 
layers.  If  you  look  carefully  you  can  see  some  of  these  cuts  on  the  upper  level. 
Notice  the  machinery  used  in  hoisting  the  huge  pieces  of  stone.  What  is  the 
difference  between  a  quarry  and  a  mine  ? 


are  these  counties  ?  Is  any  limestone  quarried  in  your  county  ? 
If  so,  find  out  for  what  it  is  used  and  where  it  is  sent.  Can 
you  find  a  place  where  limestone  has  been  used  in  your  locality  ? 
(Look  up  the  value  of  Iowa  limestone  production  as  given 
on  page  156.)    (See  Fig.  2.) 

After  thousands  and  thousands  of  years  the  earth  gave  a  long, 
slow,  gentle  heave,  and  this  part  of  the  continent  began  to  show 
as  dry  land.  First,  northeastern  Iowa  came  above  water,  and 
there  was  dry  land  in  Allamakee,  Winneshiek,  and  Clayton 


Fig.  3.  These  are  small  animals  which  lived  in  the  ocean  that  covered  the  region 
where  Iowa  is  today.    These  fossils  can  be  found  in  many  of  our  rocks.    We  call 

them  brachiopods 


P"iG.  4.  Here  arc  aliuvvn  some  ui  the  ancient  corals  which  helped  to  make  the  beds 

of  limestone  that  underlie  such  a  large  part  of  the  state.    Have  you  ever  found 

any  corals  that  resemble  these  ? 


8  IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 

iDunties.  The  rivers  brought  down  from  the  land  to  the 
north  threat  loads  of  ckiy  and  sand  and  laid  them  down  in  the 
shallow  water  just  beyond  the  shore  line.  By  and  by  the  sand 
harilened  into  santistone  and  the  clay  into  shale.  Today  we 
may  fuul  beautiful  beds  of  this  sandstone  near  McGregor, 
stained  in  many  different  colors  by  iron — reds  and  pinks  and 
yellows.  If  you  should  look  carefully  in  some  of  these  beds  of 
limestone,  sandstone,  and  shale  you  would  find  little  shells 
which  have  been  buried  but  which,  in  some  way  or  other,  have 
escaped  being  broken.  They  are  called  fossils,  and  they  show 
what  kinds  of  animals  lived  at  that  time  (Figs.  3,  4)- 

Very,  very  slowly  the  ocean  drew  back  toward  the  south, 
until  all  Iowa  was  dry  land.  Then  the  surface  rocks  began  to 
decay  and  form  soil.  At  first  the  water  ran  off  the  surface  of 
the  land  in  sheets,  just  as  water  runs  off  when  you  pour  it  on 
the  walk.  Soon  these  sheets  of  water  cut  a  little  more  deeply 
into  the  rocks  in  some  places  than  in  others,  perhaps  because 
some  rocks  were  softer.  After  a  while  most  of  the  water  ran  off 
through  these  little  channels,  forming  tiny  streams.  These 
little  streams  grew  larger  and  cut  deep  valleys.  Could  you 
show  these  things  on  a  sand  pile?  Vegetation  crept  over  the 
plains  and  the  hills,  but  it  was  not  at  all  like  the  vegetation 
which  we  see  in  Iowa  today,  and  the  animals  which  we  know 
were  not  to  be  found  here  then. 

Iowa's  Coal  Fields 

Many  years  after  Iowa  became  dry  land  there  came  a  time 
when  much  of  the  southern  part  of  the  state  was  very  swampy. 
The  same  thing  was  true  in  parts  of  Illinois,  Ohio,  Pennsylvania, 
and  many  other  states.  In  those  old  days  the  air  was  very 
moist  and  differed  perhaps  in  other  ways  from  the  air  of  today, 
so  that  plants  grew  very  rapidly.  In  these  swamps  and  in  other 
places  in  the  state  great  forests  grew,  but  the  trees  in  them  were 
not  at  all  like  the  trees  which  you  find  here  today.  In  the 
places  where  these  trees  fell  on  the  dry  land  they  decayed  and 
helped  to  enrich  the  soil  just  as  rotting  plants  do  everywhere 


3 

•a 

i 

II 

■3 

fi 

■u 

a'S 

10  IOWA  sr.vri-:  geography 

tiulay.  but  whcvc  tlicv  icW  into  tin-  wattT  of  the  swamps  they 
wiTc  prcservcMl  from  (iecay.  After  centuries  had  passed  and 
immense  layers  of  wood  had  accumulated  in  the  swamps,  the 
whole  rej^ion  sank  a  little  and  the  swamps  were  filled  with  clay 
brought  in  by  the  rivers.  This  piled  up  in  such  thick,  heavy 
layers  on  toj)  of  the  fallen  trees  that  they  were  squeezed  and 
pressed  until  they  changed  to  thin  beds  of  what  we  know 
as  coal.  The  clay  above  them  gradually  changed  into  layers 
of  rock  which  we  call  shale.  Have  you  ever  found  pieces  of 
this  shale  in  your  coal  bins?    We  often  speak  of  it  as  slate. 


Fig.  6.    The  Des  Moines  River  in  Marion  County  has  cut  through  a  coal  seam, 

exposing  the  edges  of  the  seam  in  the  valley  walls.    In  a  place  such  as  this  it 

was  easy  for  men  to  find  coal 

Today  in  south-central  Iowa  we  are  digging  the  coal  which 
was  formed  millions  of  years  ago.  It  is  a  fair  grade  of  soft, 
or  bituminous,  coal.  In  a  recent  year  we  mined  more  than 
824,000.000  worth.  Fig.  5  shows  the  chief  coal-producing 
counties.  Each  of  those  which  are  completely  black  produces 
more  than  $1,000,000  worth  yearly.  From  where  does  the 
coal  come  which  you  use  at  home  ? 

You  may  wonder  how  men  first  found  out  that  there  v/as 
coal  in  Iowa.    If  you  look  at  Fig.  6  you  can  easily  tell. 

Write  a  short  story  telling  what  you  think  the  men  might 
have  done  when  they  first  saw  this  coal. 

Fig.  7  shows  how  most  of  the  coal  of  Iowa  lies.  It  is 
under  many  feet  of  rock.  If  a  man  owning  land  in  one  of  the 
coal-producing  sections  of  the  state  thought  there  might  be 


THE  WONDERS  BENEATH  OUR  FEET  ii 

valuable  coal  under  his  land,  he  might  hire  someone  to  come 
with  a  small-diameter  drill  and  drill  holes  in  several  places.  If 
he  found  in  this  way  that  the  layers  of  coal  were  thick  enough 
to  pay  to  mine,  he  might  sink  a  shaft.  Find  in  some  other  book 
a  description  of  the  shaft  and  of  the  way  in  which  coal  is  taken 
out  of  the  ground.  The  greater  part  of  the  mining  in  this  state 
is  done  in  coal  beds  from  4  to  6  feet  in  thickness,  but  in  Marion 
County  we  have  beds  as  thick  as  16  feet.  Coal  beds  extend 
for  miles,  one  great  bed  often  underlying  from  500  to  600 
acres.  We  do  not  have  to  go  very  far  beneath  the  surface  for  our 


Fig.  7.    These  blocks  show  how  the  coal  of  Iowa  lies  in  seams,  buried  under 
the  rocks.    The  black  bands  are  the  coal 

coal.  The  deepest  mine  in  the  state  is  only  a  little  more  than 
300  feet  in  depth.  When  you  read  that  coal  mines  in  other 
countries  are  sometimes  as  deep  as  4000  feet,  you  will  realize 
that  ours  are  very  shallow.  Could  mining  be  done  underneath 
a  town  without  disturbing  buildings  or  streets  ? 

Our  Deserted  Lead  Mines 

During  all  the  years  when  the  strange  things  we  have  just 
discussed  were  happening,  the  underground  waters  which  were 
creeping  so  slowly  through  the  rocks  in  eastern  Iowa  were 
gathering  together  the  tiny  particles  of  lead  and  zinc  therein 
and  depositing  them  in  the  cracks  and  crevices  of  the  rocks. 
The  particular  kind  of  rock  in  which  these  lead  and  zinc  ores 
were  laid  down  is  called  galena  limestone,  and  in  Iowa  it  is 


12 


IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 


fiHiiui  in  Dubuque  County  and  the  region  near  there.  In  what 
part  of  the  state  is  this?  It  was  thousands  and  thousands  of 
years  after  the  lead  was  laid  down  in  these  veins  before  men 
ever  found  it.  In  the  days  before  the  white  men  came  into  this 
state  the  Indians  used  to  dig  out  lead  which  was  not  very  far 
beneath  the  surface  and  take  it  across  the  river  to  sell  at  the 
different  trading  posts.    The  white  men  bought  it  to  use  in 


Fig.  8.  Water's  old  lead  smelter  near  Dubuque  is  said  to  have  been  the  earliest 
smelter  built  in  Iowa.   Notice  the  great  limestone  bluff  and  the  limestone  used 

in  the  building 

making  bullets.  Across  what  river  did  the  Indians  carry  the 
lead?  One  place  where  they  sold  it  was  Prairie  du  Chien. 
How  far  is  this  from  the  present  city  of  Dubuque  ? 

One  day,  in  the  year  1785,  there  came  to  this  Wisconsin 
trading  post  a  French  Canadian  named  Julien  Dubuque.  He 
made  friends  easily  with  the  Indians.  Three  years  later  he 
persuaded  the  Fox  Indians,  who  worked  the  mines,  to  allow 
him  to  mine  the  lead  in  a  strip  of  land  west  of  the  Mississippi, 
near  what  is  now  Dubuque  (Fig.  8).  This  piece  of  land  ex- 
tended about  twenty  miles  north  and  south.  After  making  these 
terms  Dubuque  settled  in  the  Indian  village  of  Kettle  Chief  at 
the  mouth  of  Catfish  Creek.    This  is  a  little  stream  which  flows 


THE  WONDERS  BENEATH  OUR  FEET 


13 


into  the  Mississippi  just  south  of  the  present  city  of  Dubuque. 
He  called  his  works  the  '^  Mines  of  Spain."  Can  you  find  out 
why?  The  lead  ore  was  so  near  the  surface  in  some  places 
that  it  was  dug  out  with  hoes,  shovels,  crowbars,  and  picks. 
After  this  it  was 
smelted ;  that  is,  it 
was  heated  in  a  sort 
of  furnace  built  of 
stone,  until  the  lead 
was  melted  out  of 
the  rock  with  which 
it  was  mixed.  The 
lead  was  then  loaded 
into  boats  called  pi- 
rogues (pi  rog')  and 
sent  down  the  river 
to  St.  Louis,  where 
it  was  sold.  It  was 
then  shipped  still 
farther  down,  to  New 
Orleans,  and  there 
loaded  on  ocean- 
going ships  to  be 
sent  to  the  eastern 
part  of  the  United 
States.  Why  was  it 
taken  east  by  this 
long  and  roundabout 
way? 

After  Dubuque's 
death,  in  1810,  the 
Indians  destroyed  his  house  and  drove  out  the  white  miners 
who  had  been  working  for  him.  They  then  dug  the  lead  and 
ferried  it  across  the  Mississippi  to  sell  to  the  white  men  who 
lived  on  the  east  side  of  the  river.  These  men  were  eager  to 
come  across  to  our  side  and  dig  the  lead  themselves,  but  the 
United  States  would  not  let  them  come,  because  this  part  of 


Fig.  9.  This  wonderful  statue  of  Black  Hawk, 
designed  by  Lorado  Taft,  stands  on  a  bluff  above 
Rock  River  near  Oregon,  Illinois.  "This  is  a 
noble  tribute  to  the  great  Indian  chief  in  the 
land  his  tribes  once  possessed."  E.xplain  why  this 
is  a  suitable  picture  for  a  geography  on  Iowa 


,4  IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 

ilu-  laiul  1)1  linva  still  bclon.-^cd  to  the  Indians.  Sometimes 
soklicrs  had  to  hv  stationed  at  Dubuque  to  keep  the  white  men 
out.  On  a  bhiff  not  far  from  the  village  where  Dubuque  lived 
a  simple  monument  of  stones  has  been  erected  to  his  memory. 
\ou  may  see  it  from  the  Mississippi  River. 

In  1832,  at  the  close  of  the  Black  Hawk  War,  which  you 
will  read  about  some  day,  the  United  States  bought  a  big  piece 
of  land  from  the  Indians;  this  is  known  as  the  Black  Hawk 
Purchase.  It  extended  most  of  the  way  along  the  Mississippi 
Kiver  from  the  Minnesota  line  to  the  Missouri  line  and  fifty 
miles  westward  from  the  river.  Who  was  Black  Hawk?  (See 
?lg.  9. )  The  next  year  the  white  men  were  given  permission 
to  cross  the  river.  In  the  lirst  twelve  months  about  five  hun- 
dred came  over  at  this  one  place,  so  you  can  see  that  the  little 
village  grew  rapidly. 

For  the  first  few  years  all  the  lead  mined  was  shipped  away, 
but  later  a  shot  ,tower  and  white-lead  works  were  built.  The 
shot  tower  is  interesting.  A  spot  was  chosen  along  the  high 
bluffs  near  the  town,  and  shot  was  made  by  dropping  the  molten 
lead  from  the  top  of  the  cliff  into  a  shot  well  at  its  foot.  As  the 
drops  of  hot  lead  whirled  through  the  air  the  bullets  were 
formed.  White  lead  is  used  for  making  paint.  Look  on  the 
outside  of  a  paint  can  to  find  out  how  much  of  paint  is  lead. 

In  the  mines  the  zinc  usually  lies  below  the  lead,  so  it  was  not 
mined  until  later.  It  was  also  harder  to  smelt,  and  in  those  days 
people  had  no  special  use  for  it.  For  what  is  it  used  today? 
The  lead  and  zinc  mines  of  Iowa  have  not  been  worked  for  a 
number  of  years  because  they  are  deep  now  and  water  must  be 
pumped  out.  This  makes  mining  expensive.  The  mining  may 
be  done  much  more  cheaply  and  profitably  in  Missouri  and 
other  states  where  there  are  larger  supplies  of  these  ores. 

The  Iron  Ore  of  Iron  Hill 

Every  yellow  or  red  or  brown  color  which  you  see  in  rock 
or  clay  is  due  to  the  presence  of  iron.  It  is  scattered  every- 
where throughout  the  surface  of  the  earth.    Have  you  ever 


THE  WONDERS  BENEATH  OUR  FEET 


15 


used  water  which  had  a  strong  taste  of  iron?  In  what  other 
way  could  you  tell  that  there  was  iron  in  the  water?  When 
you  see  light-yellow  or  dark-yellow  soils  you  may  know  that 
the  iron  particles  in  them  have  decayed  or  rusted  and  made 
these  colors.    Iron  scattered  in  such  tiny  particles  is  of  no 


Fig.  10.    This  view  was  taken  in  the  mine  of  the  United  States  Gypsum  Com- 
pany at  Fort  Dodge.    How  is  the  gypsum  taken  out  of  the  mine  ? 

use  to  men  for  manufacturing.  It  is  only  when  it  has  been 
gathered  together  by  creeping,  underground  waters  and  laid 
down  in  large  quantities  that  men  can  use  it  for  making  iron 
or  steel. 

We  have  one  such  deposit  in  Iowa,  but  it  is  not  a  very  large 
one.  This  is  in  northeastern  Iowa,  in  Allamakee  County,  two 
and  a  half  miles  northeast  of  Waukon.  Locate  this  place 
approximately  on  the  map,  p.  52.  It  is  known  as  Iron  Hill. 
Not  much  iron  has  been  mined  there  because  it  can  be  obtained 
so  much  more  cheaply  in  other  places,  such  as  northeastern 
Minnesota,  near  Duluth. 


i6  IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 

Oi^R  GvpsuM  Beds  and  Their  Uses 

We  have  one  of  the  richest  gypsum  deposits  in  the  whole 
United  States.  Perhaps  you  have  seen  some  of  this  material 
used  in  your  homes  for  plaster  or  on  your  farms  as  fertilizer. 
Webster  C'ounty  has  60  or  70  square  miles  of  land  underlain 
with  gypsum.  The  beds  are  from  25  to  30  feet  in  thickness. 
Gypsum  is  a  rather  soft,  light-gray  rock. 

A  shaft  is  sunk  and  the  gypsum  rock  is  mined  in  much  the 
same  way  as  coal.  After  it  is  taken  from  the  mine  the  rock 
is  run  through  crushers,  which  break  it  into  rather  coarse 
pieces.  At  the  mills  near  Fort  Dodge  the  crushed  gypsum  is 
put  into  great  drying  tubes,  which  take  out  much  of  its 
moisture.  After  being  dried  it  is  pulverized  and  is  then  ready 
to  be  used  for  fertilizer.  Sometimes  it  is  heated  again  in  large 
vats,  where  all  the  remaining  moisture  is  driven  out.  This 
product  is  known  as  calcined  gypsum,  or  stucco.  When  this 
is  finely  ground  it  is  used  for  wall  plaster,  plaster  of  Paris,  or  for 
making  paints.  What  happens  when  you  mix  a  little  water  with 
plaster  of  Paris  ?    For  what  is  plaster  of  Paris  used  ? 

The  first  gypsum  mill  built  west  of  the  Mississippi  was  lo- 
cated at  Fort  Dodge  and  began  work  in  1872.  The  mills  now 
working  near  that  place  produced  nearly  '12,000,000  worth  of 
gypsum  in  a  recent  year  (Fig,  10).  Only  New  York  State 
produces  more. 

Iowa  has  another  gypsum  deposit  at  Centerville,  but  this  has 
been  worked  only  a  short  time.    In  what  county  is  it  ? 

On  an  outline  map  of  Iowa,  showing  the  counties,  mark  in 
some  way  all  the  mineral-producing  counties  which  we  have 
found. 


CHAPTER  III 
STORIES  OF  THE  PAST  AND  PRESENT 

How  Iowa's  Soils  were  Made 

Many  years  after  the  coal  was  made  and  the  minerals  we 
have  discussed  were  gathered  into  beds,  it  turned  so  very  cold 
in  the  north  country  that  the  snow  which  fell  in  winter  did  not 
all  melt  in  summer.  Then  year  after  year  it  grew  still  colder, 
until  in  summer  also  some  of  the  moisture  fell  as  snow.  This 
continued  until  great  beds  of  snow  more  than  a  mile  in  thick- 
ness covered  a  large  part  of  the  surface  of  the  present  Canada. 
By  and  by,  because  the  snow  was  so  heavy  and  the  cold  so 
great,  and  because  sometimes  the  surface  melted  a  little  and  the 
water  filtered  down  through,  the  whole  mass  turned  to  ice.  You 
have  probably  all  seen  this  same  thing  happen  to  the  bottom 
of  a  snowdrift  when  it  has  lain  in  your  yard  during  several 
cold  winter  months. 

After  many  years  this  great  mass  of  ice  began  to  move  out  in 
all  directions.  This  movement  was  partly  due  to  the  fact  that 
it  was  very  much  thicker  in  some  places  than  in  others.  As  it 
pushed  slowly  southward  into  what  is  now  the  United  States,  it 
carried  great  blocks  of  stone  which  were  frozen  into  the  bottom 
of  the  ice.  Some  of  these  it  picked  up  on  its  way  south  through 
what  is  now  Minnesota,  Wisconsin,  and  New  England.  These 
big,  hard  pieces  of  rock  ground  against  each  other  and  against 
the  rocks  over  which  they  were  dragged  until  the  corners  were 
broken  off  and  the  edges  were  rounded.  Often  the  whole  piece 
was  pulverized  into  a  powder  which  we  call  rock  flour.  For 
years  this  enormous  ice-sheet  crept  southward,  wearing  off  the 
hilltops  and  scouring  out  the  valleys,  until  it  covered  the  pres- 
ent Iowa  and  went  beyond  our  southern  boundary  and  halfway 
across  what  is  now  Missouri. 

17 


iS  IOWA  STATE  GEOGRArHY 

Tan  \  oil  I  Idsi-  >our  i-yi>s  and  iniaginc  all  Iowa  covered  with  a 
slu'i-t  ol"  ill-  o\iM-  hall"  a  mile  deep — no  animals,  no  grass,  no 
trees  to  be  seen,  only  a  ^neat  while  blanket  in  every  direction? 

Perhajis  sou  are  wonderinu;  what  happened  to  all  the  animals 
which  had  been  li\in,^  here.  When  it  first  began  to  turn  cold  a 
large  number  of  plants  could  not  stand  the  change  and  died. 
The  animals  that  lived  on  these  plants  had  either  to  change 
their  food  or  move  south  where  the  plants  could  still  be 
founil.  Then  as  the  summers  grew  shorter  and  colder,  until 
at  last  there  was  no  summer  at  all,  every  plant  died  and  all  the 
animals  migrated  southward  or  died.  It  is  thought  that  there 
were  no  human  beings  in  North  America  before  the  Ice  Age. 

After  a  time  the  climate  grew  warmer,  and  very  slowly  the 
ice  began  to  melt.  The  southern  edge  was  thinnest  and  the 
heat  was  greatest  there,  so  that  edge  melted  first.  Gradually 
all  the  area  that  is  now  called  Iowa  was  uncovered.  As  the  ice 
melted,  all  the  rock  flour  and  broken  rock — gravel,  pebbles, 
and  small  stones,  as  well  as  the  great  pieces  which  are  called 
bowlders — were  dumped  together.  In  some  places  large 
quantities  of  this  material,  called  glacial  drift,  were  dropped, 
making  hills.  In  other  places  the  glacial  drift  was  spread  very 
evenly.  In  some  parts  of  the  state  a  layer  more  than  a  hundred 
feet  thick  was  left  on  top  of  the  bed  rock,  while  in  other  parts 
only  a  few  feet  were  deposited.  All  over  Iowa,  except  in  a 
little  section  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  state,  which  you 
may  find  by  looking  at  Fig.  1 1,  this  glacial  drift  was  spread.  If 
you  will  find, out  how  far  people  in  your  neighborhood  have 
to  drill  before  they  strike  rock,  you  will  know  how  deep  the 
glacial  drift  is  there.  This  will  be  true  everywhere,  except  on 
the  river  flats  (where  the  rivers  have  made  changes)  or  where 
the  wind  has  piled  up  fine  soil. 

After  a  long  time  the  seeds  were  carried  back  from  the 
south,  and  very  gradually  this  glacial  area  once  more  became 
covered  with  grass  and  trees.  Some  of  these  seeds  must  have 
been  quite  heavy.  How  do  you  think  they  were  carried  back? 
Remember  there  were  no  people  here  in  those  days.  Later, 
when  there  was  food,  the  animals  came  back  from  the  south. 


L^^iT-^^-^i.^^ 


20  IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 

In  those  days  elephants  and  mastodons  and  wild  horses  roamed 
about  anil  foil  on  the  grass  and  in  the  forests.  We  know  this 
because  fossil  bones  of  these  animals  have  been  found  in  the 
gravels  of  Harrison  and  Monona  counties  and  in  many  other 
parts  of  the  state.    Look  at  the  picture  (Fig.  12  )  of  the  lower 

jaw  of  one  of  those  old 
elephants.  This  jawbone 
was  found  in  the  drift 
sheet  near  Marengo.  In 
Henry  County  elephant 
bones  have  been  found, 
and  recently  men  dig- 
ging a  sewer  in  Water- 
loo found  the  shoulder 
bone  of  an  elephant. 
Find  out  if  any  similar 
remains  have  ever  been 
found  in  your  county 
and  what  was  done  with 
them.  Thousands  of 
years  later  it  grew  cold 
again,  and  the  ice  once 
more  came  south.  With 
the  warming  of  the  cli- 
mate the  ice  melted  as 
before.  This  happened 
several  times  before  the 
present  climate  became 
established. 
Five  different  times  these  great  fields  of  ice  pushed  into  this 
area,  and  in  melting  back  each  one  left  a  sheet  of  drift.  The 
first  of  these  was  completely  covered  by  the  others.  Parts  of 
each  of  the  other  four  are  to  be  seen  at  the  surface.  Men  have 
come  all  the  way  from  Europe  to  see  this  peculiar  formation. 
Are  you  sure  that  you  have  looked  closely  at  the  drift  on  which 
you  live?  If  you  look  at  Fig.  11  you  can  find  the  name  of 
your  drift.    Find  a  creek,  a  bank,  or  a  place  where  someone  is 


Fig.  12.  This  is  the  jawbone  of  an  elephant 
which  roamed  over  Iowa  in  a  warm  period 
between  two  advances  of  the  ice.  Notice  the 
single  great  tooth  on  each  side.  This  fossil  was 
found  near  Marengo.  In  what  part  of  the 
state  is  that  ? 


STORIES  OF  THE  PAST  AND  PRESENT         21 

digging  a  cellar  or  sewer.  See  if  you  can  find  rock  flour  (that 
would  be  the  finely  ground  clay),  gravel  which  was  not  ground 
up  so  fine,  pebbles,  and  large  stones.  Sometimes  you  can  find 
on  the  larger  rocks  scratches  which  show  that  they  have  been 
rubbed  against  some  harder  stone.    Most  of  the  large  bowlders 


Fig.  13.    In  Floyd  County,  near  Charles  City,  lies  this  granite  bowlder,  one  of 

the  largest  in  the  state.    It  was  carried  in  the  ice  all  the  way  from  what  is  now 

Canada  and  has  lain  in  its  present  place  for  thousands  of  years.   Have  you  any 

such  granite  bowlders  in  your  county  ? 

are  granite,  which  is  very  hard.  They  were  carried  on  top  of  or 
somewhere  in  the  ice  mass  (Fig.  13).  If  they  had  been  under- 
neath they  would  have  been  rubbed  to  powder  as  the  others 
were.  The  Kansan  drift  sheet  is  the  oldest  which  is  to  be  seen 
at  the  surface.  It  has  lain  so  long  that  it  has  been  well  cut  and 
drained  by  rivers  and  is  therefore  very  hilly  in  many  places. 
Have  you  ever  been  in  that  part  of  the  state  which  the  map 
shows  as  Kansan  drift  ?  You  will  not  find  many  bowlders  on 
the  surface  of  this  area.  Those  which  were  brought  have  had 
time  to  rot  and  crumble  into  soil.  The  Wisconsin  drift  sheet 
was  left  by  the  ice  the  last  time  it  pushed  into  this  area.    This 


IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 

shoft  is  so  young  that  not  sufficient  time  has  elapsed  for  the 
rivers  lo  cut  it  up  and  drain  it.  Hence  the  farmers  in  that  part 
of  the  state  have  to  do  much  tihng  to  drain  their  fields.  In  a 
few  thousands  of  years  the  rivers  would  do  that  work  through 
their  little  branches  reaching  into  all  the  level  fields  and 
swanijis.  Some  of  the  swamps  are  peat  bogs.  There  are  large 
peat  bogs  in  Emmet,  Palo  Alto,  Kossuth,  and  Clay  counties. 
Have  you  ever  heard  of  any  of   these  bogs'  catching  fire? 


Fis 


14.  North  Twin  Lake  in  Calhoun  County  is  one  of  the  beautiful  glacial 
lakes  of  Iowa.   On  what  drift  sheet  is  it  ? 


If  you  will  compare  Figs.  11  and  21  you  will  see  that  all 
our  lakes  are  on  one  drift  sheet.  Which  drift  sheet  is  it? 
Look  up  the  names  of  these  lakes  on  a  map  of  Iowa.  Can  you 
find  in  the  text  any  pictures  of  lakes  ?  Of  what  use  are  they 
to  the  people  of  Iowa  ?  These  lakes  are  in  little  hollows  which 
the  ice  made  when  it  piled  more  material  in  some  places 
than  it  did  in  others.  Do  you  live  on  the  lowan  drift?  It  is 
not  so  poorly  drained  as  the  Wisconsin  nor  so  well  drained  as 
the  Kansan  drift.  It  has  a  great  many  big  bowlders,  as  you 
will  notice  if  you  take  a  ride  across  it.  Some  of  the  finest  farm 
land  in  the  state  is  on  the  lowan  drift. 


STORIES  OF  THE  PAST  AND  PRESENT 


23 


If  you  look  at  Fig.  11  you  will  notice  a  region  that  is 
driftless.  What  does  that  word  mean?  Every  time  the  ice 
moved  into  that  part  of  the  state,  the  edge  which  came  into 
these  northeastern  counties  was  so  thin  that  it  did  not  smooth 
off  the  rocks  and  did  not  carry  in  any  soil.  If  you  should  go 
into  Allamakee,  eastern  Clayton,  Winneshiek,  or  Dubuque 
counties  and  see  the  rocky  hills  and  deep-cut  valleys,  such  as 
those  you  see  in  Figs.  15  and  16,  you  could  imagine  what  Iowa 


Fig.  15.  This  great  hill  is  made  up  of  sandstone  with  layers  of  limestone  on 
top.  It  is  known  as  "The  Elephant"  and  is  located  near  French  Creek  in  Alla- 
makee County.  Once  the  country  about  here  was  nearly  level  and  higher  than 
the  top  of  this  hill.  The  frost  and  rain  and  rivers  have  worn  away  thousands 
of  cubic  feet  of  rock  from  this  region  and  carried  it  toward  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 
Study  the  picture  carefully.  It  shows  exactly  how  the  driftless  area  of  Iowa 
looks.  Write  out  a  list  of  the  ways  in  which  it  differs  from  the  drift-covered  area 


would  have  looked  like  if  there  had  been  no  ice-sheet.  Fortu- 
nately for  us  it  covered  most  of  our  state  with  a  deep,  rich  soil 
so  that  our  farms  yield  large  crops  when  we  care  for  them 
properly.  A  great  geologist,  Samuel  Calvin,  once  said, 
''Iowa's  soils  are  worth  all  the  gold  and  silver  mines  of  the 
world  combined."  How  can  this  be  true?  Study  Fig.  17  be- 
fore you  answer.  Have  you  ever  seen  any  soils  which  were 
being  neglected?    What  would  you  do  if  they  were  yours? 


-M 


IOWA  STATK  GEOGRAPHY 


Ro;i(l  in  some  rotorenco  book  about  different  methods  of  im- 
pro\ini,'  poor  soils.  \\h>'  do  you  suppose  we  have  spent  so 
Muich  time  studying  about  soils?  Write  out  your  answer  to 
this  question. 

You  ha\e  read  the  story  of  how  Iowa  has  been  made, — its 
rocks,  its  minerals,  and  its  soils.  It  took  a  long  time — no  one 
knows  just  how  long — to  make  the  state  ready  for  men  to  live 


Fig.  i6.    Mu^.i  ui   iuv,a  jiii-,ui  .lavi.  luukcd  like  this  if  the  ice-sheet  had  not 

moved  over  the  state.    If  the  heavy  part  of  the  ice-sheet  had  passed  over  here 

what  would  have  happened  to  this  beautiful  ledge  of  rock  in  Allamakee  County  ? 

Find  Allamakee  County  in  Fig.  ii 


in.  No  men  hved  here  during  the  years  which  we  have  de- 
scribed, yet  the  story  of  all  that  happened  is  written  clearly  in 
these  rocks,  minerals,  and  soils  for  all  who  are  able  to  read  their 
language.  A  few  of  the  pages  of  this  story  have  been  destroyed 
because  some  of  the  layers  of  rock  have  been  worn  away  by 
rain  and  frost,  by  rivers  and  ice,  but  enough  has  been  left  to 
tell  us  what  wonderful  plants  and  animals  lived  here  in  times 
past,  and  how  they  changed  until  they  became  the  plants  and 
animals  which  you  know  today. 


STORIES  OF  THE  PAST  AND  PRESENT 


25 


Iowa  Rivers 

When  rain  falls  on  your  school  yard  what  becomes  of  the 
water  ?  If  you  should  follow  the  water  which  runs  off  the 
surface  you  would  find  that  it  flows  into  some  little  creek. 
Can  you  find  that  creek?  Somewhere  it  runs  into  a  river. 
What  river?  On  the  map  of  Iowa  (p.  52)  find  out  in  what 
direction  that  river  flows.  From  the  Iowa  map  and  the  map  of 
the  United  States  (p.  4)  trace  the  water  till  it  flows  into  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico. 

A  river  basin  is  all  the  land  that  is  drained  by  a  river  and  its 
tributaries.  The  valley  is  the  depression  or  cut  that  is  made  by 
the  stream.    Can  you  step  across  the  valley  of  your  small 


MILLIONS  OF  DOLLARS 

4 

Iowa  Farm  Crops 
in  One  Year 

Ck)Id  and  Silver  Mined 
in  the  World  in  One  Year 

Fig.   17.    Graph  showing;  comparative  values  of  Iowa  farm  crops  and  all  the 
gold  and  silver  mined  in  the  world  in  one  year 


crefek?  How  many  feet  wide  is  it?  How  far  is  it  across  the 
basin  of  the  creek?  In  how  many  river  basins  do  you  live? 
Begin  counting  with  your  own  creek.  In  what  direction  do 
most  of  the  rivers  of  Iowa  flow?  Draw  a  small  map  of  Iowa 
and  put  in  the  Des  Moines  River,  indicating  the  important  city 
located  on  that  river.  Why  is  it  important?  In  what  county 
is  it  ?  Judging  from  the  direction  in  which  the  rivers  run,  where 
is  the  highest  part  of  the  state  ?  Look  in  the  back  of  the  book 
(p.  157)  to  see  if  you  have  judged  correctly. 

The  Mississippi  River.  The  Mississippi  River  has  been  very 
important  in  Iowa's  history  because  by  means  of  it  white 
men  first  entered  our  state.  June  17,  1673,  was  the  day  on 
which  white  men  first  saw  Iowa.  A  French  missionary,  Father 
Marquette,  and  a  French  explorer  named  Joliet,  starting  from 
Green  Bay  in  Wisconsin,  went  up  the  Fox  River  in  birch  canoes 
with  a  few  Indian  guides.    They  carried  their  canoes  from  the 


26  Km  A  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 

Vox  to  ihc  Wisconsin  RWcr  and  Hoated  down  to  the  Mississippi. 
Find  a  map  ol  Wisconsin  and  trace  their  route.  Where  did 
they  first  sec  Iowa?    (See  Fi<i.  i8.) 

On  the  lowu  side  of  the  river  they  saw  beautiful  high  Hme- 
stone  bluffs  carved  by  the  river,  the  rain,  and  the  frost  into 
all  sorts  of  wonderful  shapes— like  towers,  turrets,  and  pin- 
nacles rising  above  the  great  stone  walls  of  some  ancient  city. 


Fic.  i8.    This  is  the  part  of  Iowa  which  was  lirst  seen  by  Marquette  and  Joliet. 

What  two  rivers  are  shown  ?     Can  you  picture  the  canoes  of  the  explorers 

coming  down  the  river  in  the  distance  ? 

In  some  places  great  blocks  of  rock  had  broken  off  the  bluff  and 
slid  down  toward  the  stream,  and  everywhere  the  rocks  were 
covered  with  a  beautiful  carpet  of  flowers,  ferns,  and  mosses. 
These  were  shaded  by  the  trees  and  shrubs  which  covered  the 
slope  from  top  to  bottom,  growing  in  the  cracks  in  the  rocks 
and  on  the  gentle  slopes  where  a  little  soil  had  gathered.  Why 
is  this  part  of  the  state  more  rugged  and  picturesque  than 
other  parts?  Describe  the  scene  that  Father  jNIarquette  first 
saw  in  Iowa.    ]Make  a  picture  of  it. 


STORIES  OF  THE  PAST  AND  PRESENT  27 

Not  a  white  man  nor  even  an  Indian  did  these  explorers 
meet  as  they  paddled  on  down  the  great  river  for  many  days. 
When  they  landed  each  day  they  caught  fish  or  killed  what 
game  they  needed — squirrels,  perhaps,  or  wild  turkey  or 
prairie  chicken  or  quail.  When  they  climbed  to  the  top  of  the 
bluffs  and  looked  off  toward  the  wide  prairies,  they  could  see 
herds  of  buffalo  and  elk  feeding.  Think  of  riding  past  these 
shores  where  so  many  cities  are  today  and  seeing  not  even 
one  house ! 

One  day  toward  the  end  of  the  month,  when  they  landed 
on  the  west  bank,  perhaps  to  find  game  for  a  meal,  they  discov- 
ered some  footprints  of  men  and,  following  the  footprints  up  the 
bluffs,  came  upon  a  path.  The  two  Frenchmen  walked  along 
this  for  miles,  until  they  saw  columns  of  smoke,  which  told  them 
of  an  Indian  village.  Soon  they  came  to  the  wigwams,  which 
stood  on  the  banks  of  a  smaller  river  flowing  into  the  Missis- 
sippi. This  is  thought  to  have  been  the  Iowa  River.  The 
explorers  stayed  with  these  Indians  for  six  days,  going  on  hunt- 
ing expeditions  and  feasting  on  their  choicest  foods.  What 
were  some  of  these  foods  ?  Trace  on  the  map  (p.  52  )  the  path 
which  these  men  might  have  followed  to  the  Indian  village.  In 
what  county  would  it  be  ? 

jMarquette  and  Joliet  went  on  down  the  river,  having  many 
stirring  adventures  with  the  Indians,  until  they  came  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Arkansas  River.  Find  this  on  a  map  of  the 
United  States,  Then  they  returned  to  Canada  by  way  of 
the  Illinois  River  and  Lake  IXIichigan. 

If  you  had  lived  in  1805  you  certainly  would  have  enjoyed 
the  trip  which  Lieutenant  Zebulon  Pike  was  ordered  to  take 
by  the  United  States  government.  He  was  told  to  start  from 
St.  Louis  with  twenty  soldiers,  in  a  boat  seventy  feet  long,  and 
explore  the  Mississippi  to  its  headwaters.  The  Mississippi 
basin  was  a  part  of  the  great  territory  which  the  United 
States  had  just  bought  from  France,  and  we  wished  to  find 
out  more  about  it.  We  called  the  land  we  bought,  the  Louisi- 
ana Purchase.  Can  you  find  out  from  a  history  how  large 
it  was  and  how  much  we  paid  for  it?    Pike  and  his  party 


Map  riatt,  I'u'.Liittil  July  .-,,  l'.)21 


RELIEF  MAP  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 


GVLF   OF  MEXICO 


n  WING  NATURAL  REGIONS 


Method  of  Making  Maps,  Patented  .Inly  .>,  i;ijl 
©Ginn  and  Company 


30  IOWA  SIATE  GEOGRArHY 

tDiik  with  tluMii  provisions  for  four  months.  At  that  time 
white  nun  had  dtnie  very  little  exploring  along  the  upper 
Mississippi.  Would  it  not  have  been  an  exciting  experience  to 
row  along  the  river  in  those  August  and  September  days,  always 
in  suspense  as  to  what  adventure  might  come  next?  Notice 
the  date,  and  name  a  man  whom  they  might  have  expected 
to  meet  on  the  trip.  They  had  great  difficulty  in  coming 
through  the  Des  IMoines  Rapids,  which  are  eleven  miles  above 
the  place  where  the  Des  Moines  River  flows  into  the  Missis- 
sijipi  River.  These  are  the  rapids  which  are  now  used  to  make 
power  at  the  Keokuk  dam  (Fig.  23).  Fifteen  Indians  and  a 
white  man  who  was  living  in  one  of  the  Sac  Indian  villages 
teaching  the  Indians  to  farm  helped  Pike  get  his  boat  across 
the  rapids. 

Pike  had  been  told  to  select  a  spot  for  a  fort  somewhere 
between  St.  Louis  and  Prairie  du  Chien  and  to  ask  the  Indians 
for  permission  to  build  it.  This  is  what  he  reported  :  "I  have 
chosen  a  site  on  a  hill  forty  miles  above  the  De  Moyen 
rapids  on  the  west  side  of  the  river.  The  hill  is  about  sixty 
feet  perpendicular,  nearly  level  on  top."  About  three  years 
after  this  an  officer  and  a  company  of  soldiers  were  sent  to 
build  the  fort;  in  honor  of  the  president  they  named  it  Fort 
Madison.  They  really  had  no  right  to  build  this  on  Indian 
land,  and  the  Indians  attacked  it  again  and  again.  One  Sep- 
tember night  in  181 3  the  Indians  surrounded  the  fort,  but 
while  it  was  dark  and  cloudy  and  the  wind  was  roaring  through 
the  forest  the  soldiers  crawled  quietly  out  on  their  hands  and 
knees  without  arousing  the  Indians.  The  last  man  to  leave  set 
fire  to  the  fort.  Reaching  their  boats  they  pulled  out  from 
shore  and  were  beyond  rifle  shot  before  the  Indians  knew  of 
their  escape.  Later,  a  city  built  on  that  spot  was  given  the 
name  of  the  fort.  Find  this  city  on  your  map.  If  we  had  time 
to  study  the  cities  along  the  Mississippi  we  should  find  that 
many  more  of  them  had  exciting  early  histories.  Try  to  find 
out  how  your  town  started,  and  write  a  short  story  about  it. 

We  left  Lieutenant  Pike  on  the  river.  Let  us  travel  upstream 
with  his  party.    In  some  places  they  found  the  river  wide  and 


STORIES  OF  THE  PAST  AND  PRESENT         31 

full  of  sand  bars,  in  other  places  narrow  and  steep-sided.  Their 
report  tells  us  of  rich  lands  covered  with  black  walnut  and 
hickory  trees  near  the  river  and  of  beautiful  prairies  stretching 
for  miles  to  the  west.  On  the  first  day  of  September  they  came 
to  the  "Mines  of  Spain."  To  whom  did  these  belong?  The 
owner  did  not  seem  willing  to  tell  much  about  his  mines ;  per- 
haps he  was  afraid  that  others  would  find  out  how  rich  they 
were.  Pike  tells  us  that  as  he  went  along  the  river  he  noticed 
that  the  Indians  were  much  afraid  of  the  white  men.  How  long 
ago  was  this  trip  made  ? 

We  have  studied  something  about  the  early  history  of  the 
"  Mississippi.  Let  us  see  what  uses  the  early  settlers  made  of 
the  river.  When  did  white  men  first  come  across  the  river 
to  build  permanent  homes  ?  If  we  had  lived  in  Iowa  soon  after 
that  time  we  should  have  seen  many  steamboats  on  the  river 
during  the  summer;  why  not  in  winter?  As  early  as  1859 
there  were  steamboats  running  from  Dubuque  by  way  of 
New  Orleans  and  New  York  to  Liverpool  and  Bristol,  England. 
Twelve  years  after,  boats  ran  twice  a  week  from  Dubuque  to 
St.  Paul.  Most  of  the  boats  ran  between  St.  Louis  and 
Dubuque  because  St.  Louis  bought  many  things  that  Iowa  had 
to  sell.  What  did  Iowa  have  to  sell  in  those  days?  Make  a 
list.  Do  not  forget  that  many  men  made  a  living  in  winter  by 
trapping  and  hunting. 

'  Many  people  took  pleasure  trips  on  the  river,  so  excellent, 
comfortable  boats  were  made.  Why  do  we  not  find  them  on 
the  river  today?  Find  in  this  book  all  the  pictures  you  can 
of  scenes  along  the  Mississippi  and  decide  whether  it  would 
be  worth  while  to  take  a  trip  upstream  from  Keokuk.  Per- 
haps we  shall  soon  again  see  more  boats  on  the  river.  The 
United  States  government  has  had  some  large  steel  barges  built 
at  Dubuque.  These  boats  are  three  hundred  feet  long  and 
forty-eight  feet  wide  and  will  require  a  depth  of  eight  and  a  half 
feet  of  water.  They  are  large  enough  to  carry  three  thousand 
tons  of  coal,  but  during  the  summer  and  fall,  when  the  water 
in  the  river  is  low,  they  must  carry  much  less  than  that.  The 
government  has  leased  them  to  the  ]\Iississippi  Valley  Iron 


32  low  A  SIATE  GEOGRAPHY 

company,  which  will  use  the  boats  to  carry  iron  ore  from 
St.  rail!  to  St.  Louis.  No  iron  ore  is  mined  at  St.  Paul.  From 
where  does  it  come?  Towboats  built  at  Stillwater,  Minne- 
sota. iniU  these  heavy  barges.  One  towboat  will  pull  three 
barges.  Many  people  will  rejoice  to  see  traffic  once  more  on 
the  upper  Mississippi.    More  use  should  be  made  of  rivers,  as 


Fig.  19.    Great  rafts  of  logs  like  this  used  to  be  seen  on  the  Mississippi.    Why 

are  they  not  seen  today  ?    How  were  the  logs  joined  ?    Do  you  see  how  the 

bridge  opened  to  let  the  raft  through  ?    (Courtesy  of  Horning  Studio) 


the  railroads  are  overcrowded  with  freight,  and  Iowa  farmers 
have  a  great  deal  of  difficulty  getting  their  crops  transported. 
Besides  the  steamers  for  freight  and  passengers,  you  would 
have  seen  in  those  earlier  days  great  rafts  of  logs  coming 
downstream  for  the  mills  in  the  river  towns  (Fig.  19).  The 
logs  w'ere  floated  downstream  from  Minnesota  and  Wisconsin. 
Trees  were  cut  near  the  streams  in  winter  and  the  logs  taken  to 
the  banks,  to  lie  until  the  ice  went  out  in  the  spring.  The  logs 
then  came  down  with  the  flood  and  were  brought  to  the  mills 
very  cheaply.  Dubuque,  Clinton,  Davenport,  Muscatine,  and 
other  river  towns  had  mills  and  cut  a  large  amount  of  lumber. 


STORIES  OF  THE  PAST  AND  PRESENT         ^^ 

A  little  later,  because  the  lumber  mills  were  there,  factories 
were  established  for  the  making  of  inside  finish  for  houses 
and  stores, — doors,  sashes,  staircases,  mantels,  and  similar 
products.  This  was  in  the  sixties.  There  remain  two  large 
factories  for  this  work  in  Dubuque  today.  One  of  them  began 
operating  in  1867  and  the  other  in  1876.  No  rafts  of  logs  come 
down  the  river  now.  The  white  pine  in  the  states  to  the  north 
has  been  largely  cut  down,  and  the  factories  have  to  obtain  it 
from  the  west  coast,  in  Washington  and  Oregon.  How  is  it 
brought  to  Dubuque?  How  far  is  it  brought?  Yellow-pine 
lumber  is  imported  from  the  South.  What  is  the  difference 
between  white  pine  and  yellow  pine  ?  Iowa  buys  its  hardwood 
from  the  central  part  of  the  country,  from  such  states  as  Ken- 
tucky and  Tennessee.  Name  some  hardwood  trees.  The  mills 
run  by  steam-power,  part  of  the  fuel  being  shavings  and  waste 
wood.  Can  you  think  of  two  reasons  why  these  mills  continue 
although  the  supply  of  lumber  which  started  them  is  gone  ? 

Have  we  spent  too  much  time  studying  the  Mississippi 
River?  Decide  carefully  and  then  write  your  answer,  giving 
reasons. 

The  Missouri  River.  Do  you  know  what  the  Indian  word 
^'Missouri"  means?  Look  in  a  large  dictionary.  There  is  a 
very  good  reason  for  calling  this  river  the  Missouri,  and  for  its 
nickname.  The  Missouri  River  bluffs  are  of  loess  (16'ess), 
which  is  part  fine  clay  and  part  sand.  Through  a  long,  long 
period  the  wind  gathered  the  particles  of  clay  and  sand  and 
piled  them  up  along  the  edges  of  the  valley.  In  time  these  piles 
were  formed  into  steep  cliffs.  In  some  places  these  bluffs  are 
quite  high.  They  are  higher  on  the  east  side  of  the  river  than 
on  the  west,  because  of  the  west  winds.  The  wind  has  carried 
much  of  the  loess  of  this  region  and  spread  it  over  other  parts 
of  the  state. 

The  Missouri  has  a  very  wide  flood  plain,  on  which  it  winds 
back  and  forth.  Once  some  travelers  rowed  eighteen  miles  up 
the  river  and  found  that,  on  a  straight  line,  they  were  only 
nine  hundred  yards  from  the  place  where  they  started.  In  the 
spring — when  the  snows  melt  in  the  mountains  where  the 


34  IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 

rivor  and  its  branches  rise,  and  the  rains  are  very  heavy— the 
Missouri  goes  on  a  rampage.  In  what  mountains  do  the  river 
and  its  branches  rise?    How  far  away  is  this?    Often,  when 

the  river  overflows,  new 
channels  are  started.  Some- 
times these  cut  so  deep  as 
to  change  the  entire  course 
of  the  river.  Thus,  instead 
of  following  the  old  course 
around  a  long  bend,  it  cuts 
straight  across  a  part  of 
Nebraska,  thus  joining 
that  part  with  Iowa.  What 
might  the  river  do  to  a 
piece  of  Iowa?  (See  Fig. 
2  0.)  This  bottom  land  is 
very  fertile,  and  fine  fields 
of  grain  grow  on  it.  Why 
is  it  so  fertile  ? 

When  you  study  history 
you  will  read  a  great  deal 
about  the  Lewis  and  Clark 
Expedition.  These  two  men 
were  sent  to  explore  the 
Louisiana  Purchase.  They 
went  by  way  of  the  Mis- 
souri River  and  hence  along 
the  shores  of  Iowa.  How 
far  would  they  follow  the 
western  edge  of  the  state  ? 
They  began  their  trip  in  1804.  W^as  this  before  Lieutenant 
Pike  took  his  exploring  trip  up  the  Mississippi  ? 

We  are  told  that  they  found  it  very  hard  work  to  row  up- 
stream, for  the  current  was  very  powerful  and  carried  great 
numbers  of  uprooted  trees.  This  was  in  May.  Would  it  have 
been  equally  difficult  in  August?  They  described  the  part  of 
Iowa  which  they  saw  as  a  vast  prairie  over  which  roamed  herds 


Fig.  20.  A  short  cut  taken  by  the  river 
at  the  place  marked  i  would  give  a  piece 
of  Nebraska  territory  to  Iowa.  The  op- 
posite result  would  occur  if  the  river  took 
a  short  cut  at  the  place  marked  2 


STORIES  OF  THE  PAST  AND  PRESENT         35 

of  buffalo,  elk,  and  deer.  Early  in  August  they  camped  on  a 
high,  wooded  bluff  and  held  a  council  with  six  Indian  chiefs. 
Lewis  and  Clark  called  the  place  Council  Bluffs.  This  is  not 
where  the  present  city  of  Council  Bluffs  stands,  but  is  on  the 
west  side  of  the  river  and  farther  north.  On  August  20  Charles 
Floyd,  a  young  soldier  in  the  party,  died  and  was  buried  on  a 
bluff  overlooking  the  river.  He  was  the  first  white  man  known 
to  have  been  buried  in  Iowa  soil.  INIore  than  fifty  years  later 
Sioux  City  was  laid  out  near  this  spot.  In  1901  a  monument 
in  Sioux  City  was  dedicated  to  Charles  Floyd.  See  if  you  can 
find  a  river  in  this  region  which  was  named  by  this  party. 

Sioux  City,  the  most  important  city  of  Iowa  on  the  Missouri 
River,  has  had  a  very  rapid  growth.  What  is  the  origin  of  its 
name?  The  first  mention  we  have  of  this  locality  is  in  con- 
nection with  the  burial  of  Sergeant  Floyd  in  1804.  In  1853  a 
party  of  government  surveyors  working  in  the  neighborhood 
thought  this  a  desirable  place  for  a  town.  They  located  claims 
and  began  laying  out  a  city.  What  is  meant  by  locating 
claims  ?  By  Christmas  of  the  next  year  seven  log  houses  had 
been  built.  When  you  go  along  the  streets  of  Sioux  City  and 
see  the  busy  down-town  section,  think  of  this:  in  sixty-five 
years  it  grew  from  a  hamlet  of  seven  houses  to  a  city  of 
sixty-seven  thousand  inhabitants. 

We  know  that  soon  after  steamboats  began  running  on  the 
Mississippi  they  ventured  up  the  jVIissouri,  but  they  did  not  go 
as  far  as  Sioux  City  until  1856.  Then  a  steamboat,  loaded 
chiefly  with  provisions  and  materials  for  frame  houses,  arrived. 
You  may  well  imagine  that  its  arrival  caused  some  excitement, 
since  Sioux  City  was  very  far  from  other  settlements.  What 
do  you  think  would  be  found  on  the  shelves  of  a  store  in  such 
a  frontier  town?  Would  you  have  found  the  canned  meats 
and  fruits  that  you  find  in  stores  today?  Boats  ran  up  the 
river  as  far  as  Fort  Benton  in  Montana.  Locate  this  on  some 
map.  What  would  they  be  likely  to  carry  back?  The  first 
railroad  to  reach  Sioux  City  came  in  from  Missouri  Valley  in 
1868.  Then  Sioux  City  probably  felt  that  it  had  become  a  part 
of  the  world  !     Make  a  list  of  reasons  why  in  so  short  a  time 


36  l(n\A  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 

this  place  has  outstripped  all  other  cities  of  the  state  except 
the  cai)ital.  Is  there  anything  especially  advantageous  in  its 
location  ?  Keep  your  list,  and  you  may  be  able  to  add  to  it 
when  you  have  studied  some  other  chapters  in  this  book. 

The  Des  Moines  River.  About  fifteen  years  after  Marquette 
and  Joliet  took  their  famous  trip  down  the  Mississippi,  a 
Frenchman  made  a  map  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  in  which  he 
used  the  name  "Riviere  des  Moingona."  What  river  did  he 
mean?  Could  Marquette  have  seen  this  stream  as  he  went 
down  the  ]\Iississippi  after  leaving  the  Indian  village  ?  A  num- 
ber of  years  later  another  Frenchman  wrote  : 

On  the  left  side  about  fifty  leagues  above  the  River  of  Buffaloes  the 
River  jMoingona  issues  from  the  midst  of  an  immense  meadow, 
which  swarms  with  buffaloes  and  other  wild  beasts :  at  its  entrance 
into  the  Mississippi  it  is  very  shallow  as  well  as  narrow.  Going  up 
the  ^loingona  we  find  a  great  plenty  of  pit  coal. 

This  quotation  shows  us  how  different  this  region  looked  in 
those  early  days.  How  many  miles  are  there  in  a  league  ? 
In  what  county  w^as  this  ''immense  meadow"?  Look  back  at 
Fig.  6  and  see  how  they  happened  to  find  the  coal.  This  valley 
was  an  excellent  place  for  Indian  trappers  and  hunters.  In 
1779  the  French  had  a  fur-trading  post  on  the  Des  Moines,  two 
hundred  miles  above  its  mouth.  Measure  on  the  map  (p.  52), 
to  see  where  this  would  be.  Here  they  found  the  Indian  hunt- 
ing camps  and  exchanged  blankets,  cloth,  calicoes,  tobacco,  and 
cheap  jewelry  for  the  skins  of  the  beaver,  otter,  deer,  and  bear. 
In  the  days  when  southern  Iowa  was  being  settled,  before 
there  were  any  railroads,  all  supplies  had  to  be  hauled  west 
from  the  Mississippi  in  wagons.  This  was  very  slow  work, 
so  wherever  they  could  men  made  use  of  streams.  At  first  their 
only  boats  were  flat-bottomed,  clumsy  affairs  which  were 
pushed  upstream  with  poles.  When  the  steamboats  came  they 
could  take  larger  loads  and  go  much  more  quickly.  In  1837 
a  steamboat  w^ent  up  the  Des  Moines  as  far  as  Keosauqua. 
How  far  is  that  ?  This  boat  was  loaded  with  flour,  corn  meal, 
dry  goods,  and  whisky.    Five  or  six  years  later  steamboats  took 


321030 


38 


IOWA  STATK  GEOGRAPHY 


supplii-s  as  far  as  Dcs  Moinos  for  the  garrison  of  soldiers  lo- 
rati'd  tluMT.  and  still  later  they  went  as  far  as  Fort  Dodge. 
About  this  time  Iowa  people  were  very  eager  to  have  Congress 
appropriate  money  to  dredge  the  rivers  so  that  they  might  be 
more  easily  used  for  steamboats.  Why  do  you  suppose  this  was 
never  done  ?    Perhaps  you  can  answer  this  more  readily  after 


Fig.  22.    The  Center  Street  dam  in  Des  Moines  shows  one  of  the  many  uses 

to  which  our  rivers  are  put.    Explain  how  power  is  generated  at  such  a  dam. 

What  is  a  turbine  ? 


you  have  read  about  Iowa  railroads  in  the  chapter  on  trans- 
portation.    Are  there  steamboats  on  the  Des   Moines   now? 

Iowa  has  so  many  rivers  that  it  would  not  be  possible  to 
describe  each  one  in  this  book.  You  will  have  to  find  out 
many  things  about  them  for  yourselves.  You  can  easily  do  this 
as  you  talk  with  people  who  have  been  in  other  parts  of  the 
state.  Everyone  who  knows  and  loves  rivers  has  his  favorite. 
Which  is  yours?  As  you  look  through  the  book  you  will  find 
many  beautiful  river  pictures.    Which  one  do  you  like  best? 

Rivers  not  only  add  to  the  beauty  of  scenery  but  are  exceed- 
ingly useful.    Council  Bluffs  obtains  a  part  of  its  water  supply 


40 


IOWA  STATH  GEOGRAPHY 


Iroiii  tin-  Missouri ;  Dis  Moinos  ^ets  its  supply  from  the  gravel 
beds  1)1"  the  RaeeDon.  Ol"  what  river  is  the  Raccoon  a  branch? 
Keokuk,  Davenport,  and  Burlington  draw  their  water  supply 
from  the  Mississippi.  It  is  necessary  to  filter  the  river  water 
carefullv  hi'fore  it  is  used.  There  are  many  methods  of  filter- 
ing.   A  common  one  is  through  beds  of  clean  gravel  and  sand. 


Fig.  24.    The  curved  line  on  the  map  shows  the  extent  of  the  area  which  can 
be  ser\'ed  by  electric  power  generated  at  Keokuk 


How  does  the  water  which  is  in  our  wells  become  filtered  ? 
See  if  you  can  find  out  the  source  of  your  water  supply. 
Many  Iowa  rivers  furnish  water-power  to  run  mills 
(  Fig.  22).  Water-power  was  used  in  very  early  days  by  the 
settlers,  who  needed  mills  to  grind  their  grain  and  to  cut  logs 
into  boards  for  building.  Dams  were  put  in  the  streams  where 
there  were  rapids  or  little  falls,  and  mills  were  built.  There  are 
many  flour  mills  in  the  state  today  making  use  of  water-power. 
Cedar  Rapids  has  a  fine  hydroelectric  plant  producing  about 
three  thousand  horse-power.  Electricity  from  this  plant  is 
used  in  Cedar  Rapids,  by  the  interurban  railways  to  Mt. 
Vernon  and  Iowa  City,  and  for  the  lighting  of  distant  towns. 


STORIES  OF  THE  PAST  AND  PRESENT         41 

Our  finest  water-power  site  is  at  Keokuk,  but  we  cannot  say- 
that  it  belongs  to  us  alone.  Look  at  the  map  and  decide  why. 
It  is  owned  by  the  Mississippi  River  Power  Company.  The 
United  States  government  gave  them  the  right  to  put  in  the 
great  dam  there,  but  they  also  had  to  put  in  a  canal  and  lock 
so  that  boats  might  go  up  the  river.  Have  we  previously 
mentioned  these  rapids?  The  water  which  is  held  back  by 
the  dam  runs  through  a  narrow  passage  with  great  swiftness, 
and  when  it  falls  on  the  big  turbine  wheels  its  force  is  suf- 
ficient to  generate  three  hundred  thousand  horse-power  of  elec- 
tricity. It  is  said  that  electricity  can  profitably  be  carried  two 
hundred  miles.  How  is  it  carried  ?  Many  places  are  suppHed 
with  electricity  from  this  plant.  Some  of  the  power  is  carried 
as  far  as  St.  Louis.  How  far  is  that  ?  Study  Fig.  24  and  decide 
whether  your  town  could  profitably  get  electricity  from  this 
plant.  How  does  your  town  get  its  electricity  ?  Why  is  water- 
power  preferable  to  steam-power  ? 

There  are  still  other  purposes  for  which  Iowa  uses  its  rivers. 
What  are  they  ? 

The  Tama  County  Indians 

We  have  already  learned  that  until  about  1832  the  Indians 
owned  all  Iowa  and  lived  in  all  parts  of  the  state,  roaming 
about  as  they  pleased — hunting,  trapping,  and  fishing.  Within 
a  few  years  they  had  sold  all  their  land  to  the  United  States 
government.  Many  Iowa  farms  sell  today  for  more  than  S400 
per  acre,  yet  the  Indians  were  paid  only  from  8  cents  to  12 
cents  per  acre  for  this  land ! 

The  Indians  agreed  with  the  United  States  government  to 
move  farther  west.  Really,  they  did  not  have  much  choice  in 
the  matter.  .The  Sac  and  Fox  Indians,  who  lived  in  the  eastern 
part  of  the  state  and  with  whom  one  of  the  first  land  treaties 
was  made,  agreed  to  move  to  a  reservation  chosen  for  them  on 
the  west  side  of  the  Missouri  River.  The  authorities  chose  a 
place  for  them  in  Kansas,  but  the  Indians  did  not  like  it,  for 
they  said  it  was  good  neither  for  hunting  nor  farming.    Some 


C\)untv 


42  l(n\  A  STATE  GEOGRArHY 

o\  the  Indians  succeeded  in  getting  together  a  little  money,  and 
\u  iS5(^  came  back  to  Iowa  and  bought  a  piece  of  land  m  Tama 
The    Tama   County    Indians    (Fig.    25),   commonly 

called  Musquakics,  are 
a  remnant  of  the  Sacs 
and  Foxes.  In  what  di- 
rection is  Tama  County 
from  your  home  ? 

These    Indians    had 
money  enough   to  buy 
only    eighty    acres    of 
land  at  first,  and  for  a 
few  years  they  had  a 
hard  time  to  make  a  liv- 
ing. Because  they  would 
not  stay  on  the  reserva- 
tion   which    had    been 
chosen     for     them     in 
Kansas,  the  government 
refused    to    give    them 
their  yearly  payments. 
They    struggled    along 
for  ten  years,  doing  what 
farming     they      could, 
hunting  along  the  river, 
and    selling   beadwork. 
Finally    friends   among 
the  white  men  pleaded 
their    cause    with    the 
government,  and  in  1867  their  yearly  payments  were  restored. 
They  invested  part  of  this  money  in  land,  and  in  1905  owned 
nearly  three  thousand  acres. 

Someone,  in  writing  of  the  movement  of  the  Indians  back 
to  Iowa,  gives  a  short  description  which  will  help  you  to  know 
something  of  their  feelings.  This  quotation  will  also  help  you 
to  understand  that  although  we  usually  think  of  the  Indians  as 
rovers  they  shared  in  the  home  feeling  common  to  us  all. 


Fig.  25.  Three  young  "braves"  from  the  Tama 

Indian    settlement.    You    would    never    know 

from  their  dress  that  they  were  not  boys  from 

your  own  school 


Fig.  26.   This  is  the  home  of  one  of  the  oldest  squaws.    You  can  see  plainly  the 
framework  which  has  been  put  up  for  a  porch.    When  finished  it  will  be  covered 

with  braided  grass 


Fig.  27.    Notice  the  different  types  of  homes  which  the  Indians  at  Tama  have  built. 
In  some  cases  the  heating  system  is  only  a  pile  of  sticks  on  the  floor 


44  IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 

Their  dead  were  reverently  borne  from  distant  places  and  buried 
with  solemn  and  impressive  ceremonies  on  the  bluff  in  plain  view 
of  their  now  home,  and  the  warriors  of  the  Musquakies  fell  on  their 
knees  by  the  -graves  of  their  kindred  and  kissed  the  earth  in  gratitude 
to  the  Great  Spirit  for  this  goodness  toward  them. 

These  three  hundred  and  fifty  or  sixty  Musquakie  Indians 
have  changed  only  a  little  from  the  customs  of  their  an- 
cestors. See  the  pictures  of  some  of  their  homes,  or  v^ickiups 
(Figs.  26,  27).  They  may  not  seem  very  satisfactory  to  you, 
but  they  please  their  owners.  The  wickiup  is  really  the  winter 
home,  and  may  be  either  oval  or  oblong.  Formerly,  it  was  made 
of  slender  poles  bent  into  shape  and  covered  with  rush  matting. 
These  which  are  shown  in  the  picture  are  rather  poor  imitations 
of  the  older  ones.  The  wigwam  is  the  Indian's  summer  lodge. 
This  is  often  built  of  bark  fastened  on  the  outside  of  upright 
posts  or  poles.  There  is  no  chimney,  and  the  smoke  passes 
out  of  the  door  or  the  roof.  Instead  of  the  skins  of  the  deer, 
bear,  and  buffalo,  which  the  Indians  once  used  for  their  beds, 
they  now  use  mats  and  blankets  of  their  own  weaving. 

The  Indians  have  changed  their  style  of  clothing,  too,  in 
accordance  with  their  needs  and  what  they  can  obtain.  About 
two  hundred  of  them  wear  citizens'  clothing.  The  older  men 
and  women  still  wear  blankets  just  as  their  ancestors  did  hun- 
dreds of  years  before  them.  In  foods  they  have  substituted 
pork  for  venison,  and  wheat  flour  is  largely  substituted  for  corn 
meal.  Yet  when  the  time  comes  for  weddings  and  burials  and 
the  solemn  religious  festivals  of  the  tribe,  they  wear  garments 
and  ornaments  made  by  the  Indian  women,  and  prepare  their 
feasts  in  the  old  way  and  serve  them  in  the  old  vessels  which 
their  ancestors  used.  In  general,  their  ways  of  living  are  not 
sanitary,  and  hundreds  of  them  fall  victims  to  tuberculosis. 

You  will  be  interested  in  some  of  the  names  taken  from 
the  records  at  Tama:  ''Na  na  wa  chi,"  ''Hoki  ma  kwa  wa," 
"Cha  ko  so,"  ''Pi  ta  to  kwa."  The  first  two  are  names  of 
women,  the  other  two  of  men.  Some  of  them  have  English 
names  also,  as,  ''Frank  Earl."  The  Tama  settlement  has  a 
school  and  a  sanatorium. 


STORIES  OF  THE  PAST  AND  PRESENT         45 


Iowa's  Capital 

When  we  speak  of  the  present  capital  of  Iowa  we  mean 
Des  Moines,  but  this  has  not  always  been  the  capital.  When 
Iowa  was  first  organized  as  a  territory  in  1838  the  first  legisla- 
ture met  at  Burlington.  What  is  a  legislature  ?  A  commission 
was  appointed  to  select  a  site  farther  west  for  the  capital.    Why 


Fig.  28.  The  old  State  Capitol  is  now  one  of  the  buildings  of  the  State  University 
of  Iowa.    Of  what  material  is  this  built  ? 

was  it  better  to  have  it  farther  west  ?  The  instructions  given 
this  commission  were  that  they  were  to  choose  some  place  in 
Johnson  County.  Where  is  Johnson  County?  They  chose  a 
spot  on  the  banks  of  the  Iowa  River  and  set  up  a  slab  marked 
''City  of  Iowa."  Ten  acres  were  set  aside  for  the  Capitol 
grounds ;  and  streets  and  parks  were  laid  out.  The  commission- 
ers even  planned  wharves  along  the  river  at  which  steamboats 
were  to  load.  Do  you  think  those  wharves  are  used  today? 
What  is  the  difference  between  the  capital  and  the  Capitol? 
The  next  year  the  building  of  the  Capitol  was  commenced. 
It  was  built  of  limestone  brought  from  a  quarry  a  little  distance 
up  the  Iowa  River.    Flatboats  were  used  in  bringing  it  down. 


46  IOWA  S'rATI<:  G1-:0GRAPHY 

A  small  (|uantity  of  stone  from  other  quarries  was  brought 
across  country  with  ox  teams.  If  you  look  at  Fig.  28  you  will 
see  a  picture  of  this  building,  which  was  later  given  to  the 
State  Tniversity  and  is  now  used  by  that  school  as  an  admin- 
istration building.  Two  years  later,  in  1841,  the  legislature  met 
in  Iowa  City.  This  fact  made  it  a  real  capital.  The  building 
which  you  have  just  looked  at  was  not  finished  at  that  time, 
so  a  substitute  had  to  be  used.  The  legislature  met  in  Decem- 
ber.   How  did  the  members  probably  travel  to  Iowa  City? 

In  1846  Iowa  became  a  state.  For  eleven  years  thereafter 
Iowa  City  continued  to  be  the  capital  of  the  state,  and  during 
this  time  men  were  pushing  farther  west  and  northwest  and 
settling  the  prairies.  In  what  section  of  the  state  is  Iowa 
City?  Only  a  few  years  passed  before  many  people  thought 
that  the  capital  ought  to  be  moved  to  a  more  central  part  of 
the  state.  Why  is  it  an  advantage  to  have  the  capital  in  the 
central  part  of  the  state  ?  From  where  do  the  members  of  the 
legislature  come  ?  What  other  people  need  to  go  to  the  capital 
on  business?  Look  at  the  map  (p.  4)  and  see  whether  the 
capitals  of  some  of  the  other  states  are  centrally  located. 

The  subject  of  moving  the  capital  was  discussed  at  every 
meeting  of  the  legislature.  Some  of  the  arguments  against 
moving  the  capital  farther  west  sound  rather  strange  now. 
Here  is  a  sentence  from  one  speech:  ''A  very  large  portion 
of  the  country  lying  west  of  the  Des  Moines  and  its  tribu- 
taries is  a  barren  waste  made  up  of  lakes,  marshes,  and  sand 
hills  incapable  of  being  inhabited."  How  do  you  think  the  man 
who  made  that  speech  would  feel  if  he  could  travel  west  of  the 
Des  Moines  River  today  ? 

Again  a  commission  was  appointed.  Here  are  the  orders 
which  wtre  given  it : 

Examine  such  parts  of  the  state  as  seem  suitable,  select  the  amount 
of  land  appropriated  by  Congress,  and  locate  the  permanent  seat  of 
government  "as  near  the  geographical  center  as  may  be  consistent 
with  an  eligible  and  healthful  site,  the  general  features  of  the  sur- 
rounding country,  and  the  interests  of  the  state  generally." 


STORIES  OF  THE  PAST  AND  PRESENT 


47 


Do  you  think  the  place  finally  chosen  met  all  these  require- 
ments ?  There  was  plenty  of  excitement  in  the  state  over  the 
question  and  hundreds  of  people  sent  petitions  to  the  legis- 
lature in  behalf  of  various  locations  for  the  new  capital. 
Oskaloosa  and  Pella  were  strong  competitors  for  the  honor. 
More  people  seemed  to  agree  on  the  Raccoon  Forks  of  the 
Des  Moines  than  on  any  other  place.    You  remember  that 


Fig.  29.    This  is  the  Capitol  —  a  building  which  belongs  to  you.    Its  gilded  dome 

can  be  seen  for  miles.    By  what  other  name  is  the  building  sometimes  called  ? 

What  state  officers  would  be  found  here  ? 


Fort  Des  Moines  had  been  located  there  for  some  time.  The 
first  commission  had  chosen  a  place  called  Monroe  City.  The 
legislature  did  not  think  this  a  good  choice,  so  they  dismissed 
the  commission  and  appointed  a  new  one,  telling  them  to  lo- 
cate the  capital  within  two  miles  of  the  junction  of  the  Des 
Moines  and  the  Raccoon  rivers.  (Make  a  sketch  of  the  place 
where  these  two  rivers  join  and  draw  the  circle  inside  which  the 
capital  would  have  to  be.)  Immediately  all  the  excitement  of 
the  state  centered  in  Des  Moines.    The  people  on  the  east  side 


48  IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 

of  the  river  wanted  the  Capitol  built  there;  others  were 
(leterniined  that  it  should  be  on  the  west  side.  Finally,  a  place 
on  the  east  side  of  the  river  was  chosen.  The  place  is  so  high 
that  the  beautiful  gilded  dome  may  be  seen  for  miles,  especially 
when  it  is  lighted.  The  first  Capitol  was  a  three-story  building 
built  where  the  Soldiers  and  Sailors'  Monument  now  stands. 
In  October,  1857,  Des  Moines  officially  became  the  capital,  and 
the  officers  moved  there  from  Iowa  City.  We  are  told  that  a 
snowstorm  set  in  while  the  office  equipment  was  being  moved, 
and  the  state  treasurer's  safe,  which  was  very  large  and  heavy, 
"had  to  be  left  on  the  open  prairie  for  several  days  and  nights, 
until  the  storm  abated  and  the  ground  was  frozen  sufficiently  so 
that  the  safe  could  be  carried  on  a  large  bobsled.  When  it 
arrived  in  Des  IMoines  it  was  drawn  by  ten  yoke  of  oxen." 

A  gentleman  who  moved  to  Des  Moines  in  1850,  seven  years 
before  it  was  made  the  capital,  has  told  many  interesting 
stories  about  the  place.  At  that  time  it  had  about  five  hundred 
and  fifty  inhabitants,  most  of  whom  dwelt  in  double  cabins 
which  were  once  occupied  by  the  soldiers.  There  were  two  rows 
of  these  cabins,  and  two  families  lived  in  each  cabin.  There 
were  also  two  small  hotels,  two  brick  residences,  a  few  frame 
houses,  and  several  little  stores  and  offices.  There  was  a  little 
brick  courthouse  in  which  church  was  held  on  Sundays  and 
school  on  the  week  days  when  school  was  in  session.  Usually 
this  was  only  for  three  months  during  the  winter.  Footpaths 
took  the  place  of  streets.  "Our  dry  goods,  groceries,  flour,  and 
hardware,  in  short,  nearly  all  our  merchantable  wares,  were 
brought  chiefly  with  teams  and  wagons."  Describe  another 
way  in  which  these  things  might  have  been  brought. 

"In  our  entire  trip  from  Davenport  to  Des  Moines  there 
seemed  to  be  among  the  people  but  one  conviction,  and  that 
was  that  Des  Moines  had  a  great  future  before  it."  How  much 
has  Des  ]\Ioines  grown  since  then  ?  Has  it  grown  in  other  ways 
than  in  population  ? 

It  was  soon  felt  that  it  was  not  fitting  for  so  large  and  pros- 
perous a  state  to  have  its  official  home  in  so  small  and  inconven- 
ient a  building.    The  present  building  was  commenced  in  1873. 


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50  IOWA  SIAIK  GEOGRAPHY 

It  took  twelve  years  to  complete  it.  Look  carefully  at  the  pic- 
ture (  Fig.  29)  to  see  if  you  can  discover  any  of  the  reasons  why 
it  took  so  long.  Iowa  has  a  right  to  be  proud  of  her  Capitol. 
The  corner  stone  was  cut  from  a  piece  of  granite  brought  from 
Buchanan  C\)unty.  How  was  the  granite  probably  brought  to 
1  )cs  Moines  ?  This  corner  stone  is  seven  feet  by  three  by  three, 
so  you  see  it  was  cut  from  a  large  bowlder.  The  stone  for  the 
basement  came  from  the  quarry  at  Iowa  City  near  the  old 
Capitol.  Marble  from  many  states  and  many  countries  will  be 
found  in  the  building :  Tennessee,  Vermont,  New  York,  Spain, 
Italy,  France,  Belgium,  Ireland.  When  you  visit  the  state- 
house  you  will  find  many  beautiful  pictures  and  statues,  but 
probably  your  favorite  one  will  be  the  great  picture  called 
''Westward,"  painted  by  Blashfield.  This  is  a  famous  paint- 
ing. It  is  large  and  is  painted  in  colors,  so  you  can  judge  from 
the  small  picture  (Fig.  30)  that  the  original  is  very  beauti- 
ful. It  represents  the  pioneers,  led  by  the  spirits  of  Civil- 
ization and  Enlightenment,  conquering  by  the  cultivation  of 
the  great  West.  The  picture  shows  a  prairie  schooner  with 
four  figures  floating  before  it :  one  holds  a  shield  with  the  arms 
of  the  state  of  Iowa  upon  it ;  one  holds  a  book,  symbolizing 
enlightenment ;  two  others  scatter  seeds,  indicating  the  change 
which  will  come  as  the  prairie  is  turned  into  plowed  fields. 

The  Soldiers  and  Sailors'  Monument,  which  you  see  in  the 
picture  of  the  Capitol,  was  erected  to  commemorate  the  heroic 
acts  of  Iowa  soldiers  during  the  Civil  War.  The  state  has 
bought  more  land  to  enlarge  the  Capitol  grounds,  and  this  statue 
can  now  be  so  placed  that  it  will  be  displayed  to  much  better 
advantage.  Can  you  find  the  figure  of  the  Goddess  of  V^ictory  ? 
The  granite  shaft  on  which  it  stands  is  one  hundred  and 
thirteen  feet  high. 

The  Allison  Monument  (see  the  Frontispiece)  is  another 
statue  which  beautifies  the  Capitol  grounds.  It  is  considered 
one  of  the  most  excellent  pieces  of  statuary  in  the  state.  On  the 
front  of  its  pedestal  is  a  portrait  of  Senator  Allison,  with  the 
Victory  of  Knowledge  represented  at  one  side  and  the  Victory 
of  Peace  at  the  other.    You  can  see  the  first  of  these  figures 


STORIES  OF  THE  PAST  AND  PRESENT         51 

plainly  in  the  picture  at  the  front  of  this  book.  Notice  the 
torch,  carried  as  the  symbol  of  learning.  This  figure  is  followed 
by  Legislature,  carrying  the  books  of  law.  Next  comes  Finan- 
cial Prosperity,  carrying  the  horn  of  plenty.  What  connection 
has  the  horn  of  plenty  with  Iowa's  prosperity  ?  Above  all  these 
sits  the  Republic.  Find  out  why  so  beautiful  a  monument  is  a 
fitting  memorial  to  Senator  Allison. 

Let  us  now  find  out  something  more  about  the  capital.  Why 
has  it  grown  to  be  the  largest  city  in  the  state  ?  In  what  way 
does  the  fact  that  a  city  is  the  capital  help  it  to  grow? 
What  are  some  of  the  causes  which  make  cities  grow?  Look 
at  the  coal  map  (Fig.  5)  and  the  railroad  map  (Fig.  82)  to 
see  if  you  can  discover  any  reasons.  Des  Moines  has  many 
kinds  of  manufactures.  On  page  149  you  will  find  a  list  of  the 
most  important  of  these  manufactures.  Can  you  see  any 
reasons  why  such  manufacturing  plants  as  automobile-tire 
factories,  hosiery  mills,  and  refrigerator  plants  might  do  well  in 
Des  Moines,  even  though  the  raw  materials  must  be  shipped  in  ? 

Des  Moines  is  the  home  of  great  farm  journals.  Give  some 
reasons  for  this.  Of  what  use  are  these  papers?  Name  some 
of  them.  Hundreds  of  conventions  are  held  in  Des  Moines. 
Examine  the  railroad  map  to  see  if  you  can  find  any  explana- 
tion for  this  fact.  Des  Moines  is  a  great  insurance  and 
banking  center.  It  has  many  other  points  of  interest.  It  has 
a  park  system  of  about  a  thousand  acres  and  many  beautiful 
drives.  The  grounds  of  the  State  Fair  cover  a  great  area  also. 
At  what  time  of  year  is  the  State  Fair  held  ?  Why  is  it  held 
at  that  time? 


CHAPTER  IV 

10\\  AS  GREATEST  INDUSTRY— AGRICULTURE 

In  a  recent  year  Iowa  farm  crops  were  worth  $822,961,000. 
That  year  its  manufactures  were  worth  $462,819,000  and  its 
minerals  were  worth  839,108,000.  Allow  one  inch  to  represent 
Si 00,000,000  and  make  a  graph  similar  to  Fig.  31.  How 
does  the  farm-crops  line  compare  with  the  others  in  length? 
What  does  this  tell  you?  Suppose  we  added  to  this  line 
the  value  of  all  the  cattle,  hogs,  horses,  poultry,  eggs,  and 
milk  sold  from  the  farms,  how  would  the  value  of  the  products 

MILLIONS  OF  DOLLARS 
150  300  450  600 

Farm  Crops 
Manufactures 

Minerals 

Fig.  31.    Graph  showing  comparative  values  of  Iowa  products 

of  Iowa  farms  compare  with  that  of  its  other  industries?  In 
Pennsylvania,  Massachusetts,  and  New  York  other  industries 
are  much  more  important  than  agriculture.  Let  us  find  out 
why  agriculture  is  so  important  in  Iowa.  There  are  many 
different  reasons. 

We  have  already  discussed  Iowa  soil  and  found  that  it  is 
deep,  rich,  and  porous.  Few  states  have  better  soil,  and  many 
have  soil  not  nearly  so  good.  A  good  soil  is  one  of  the  best 
assets  that  a  farmer  can  have.  If  the  soil  is  not  fertile,  is  there 
anything  that  he  can  do  to  improve  it  ?  Improving  soil  is  very 
expensive  and  cuts  down  profits.  In  many  eastern  states  every 
acre  must  be  fertilized. 

Another  factor  which  tends  to  make  Iowa  a  good  farming 
state  is  its  regular  surface.    Examine  your  regional  map  of  the 

52 


IOWA'S  GREATEST  INDUSTRY— AGRICULTURE    53 

United  States.  Look  at  Iowa  and  then  at  the  surface  of 
some  of  the  other  states.  Many  of  them  have  waste  land 
in  mountains.  Mountains  make  beautiful  scenery  but  poor 
farm  land.  Why?  Iowa  has  less  waste  land  in  proportion  to 
its  area  than  any  other  state  in  the  Union.  What  is  its  area 
in  square  miles  (see  page  157)?  Explain  how  the  ice-sheet 
helped  to  level  Iowa's  surface.  In  some  portions  of  the  southern 
part  of  the  state  the  land  is  hilly  and  the  soil  has  been  washed 
off  the  steep  hillsides.  These  conditions  make  poor  fields. 
What  other  part  of  the  state  is  hilly?  In  the  north  portion 
and  along  the  bottom  lands  of  the  Mississippi  and  the  Missouri 
are  some  farms  which  are  swampy  and  will  need  to  be  drained 
before  they  produce  large  crops.  How  can  this  be  done  ?  We 
have  already  drained  many  thousands  of  acres ;  for  instance, 
there  is  a  stretch  of  river  flat  between  Muscatine  and 
Burlington  which  formerly  was  under  water  in  the  spring 
and  summer.  Locate  this  place  on  the  map,  p.  52.  Dikes 
were  constructed  to  keep  the  river  out,  but  the  owners 
did  not  know  how  to  get  rid  of  the  water  which  came  in 
back  of  the  dikes.  Engineers  were  sent  to  Holland,  where 
there  are  many  dikes,  to  learn  from  the  Dutch  how  to  overcome 
this  difficulty.  These  engineers  brought  back  plans  for  digging 
cross  ditches  into  which  the  water  back  of  the  dikes 
should  run.  The  water  in  these  ditches  is  then  pumped  over  the 
dikes  into  the  Mississippi,  leaving  the  land  in  good  condition  for 
raising  crops.  At  one  time  some  of  this  flat  land  was  not  worth 
S3  an  acre  and  now  it  is  worth  hundreds  of  dollars  per  acre. 
Some  of  the  largest  corn  yields  of  the  state  are  to  be  found  on 
this  rich  land.  Taken  all  in  all  there  is  in  Iowa  a  larger  per- 
centage of  land  which  can  be  cultivated  than  there  is  in  any 
other  state.  This  is  something  for  which  we  should  be  grateful. 
A  third  thing  which  makes  this  a  good  farming  state  is  the 
climate.  When  we  speak  of  the  climate  of  a  place  we  think 
of  its  rainfall  and  its  temperature.  Iowa  has  all  the  rain  it 
needs  for  raising  good  crops  of  grain.  We  are  near  enough  to 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico  to  have  an  abundance  of  moisture  brought 
us  by  the  winds  which  blow  over  the  Gulf.    In  Iowa  rain  comes 


54 


TOW  A  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 


at  tho  right  tinu'  ol  the  year ;  that  is,  most  of  it  comes  in  the 
spring  and  summer  months.  Look  at  Fig.  32  and  find  out 
whieh  iiKinths  have  the  heaviest  rainfall.  Some  parts  of  the 
state  of  Washington  have  the  same  amount  of  rain  that  we 
do.  but  it  falls  in  winter.  Why  is  spring  and  summer  rainfall 
better  ?    \\'here  can  crops  be  grown  if  the  rain  falls  in  winter  ? 


January 


February 


INCHES 


Fig.  32.    (]raph  showing  distribution  of  yearly  rainfall  by  months  in  Iowa 


The  average  annual  rainfall  in  Iowa  is  about  thirty-one  and 
a  half  inches.  How  much  sometimes  falls  in  one  heavy  rain? 
If  you  have  never  measured  to  find  how  much  rain  falls  at 
one  time  in  your  neighborhood,  make  a  rain  gauge  for  yourself 
out  of  a  straight-sided  can  (a  half-gallon  pail  which  has  no  rim 
will  do  very  well).  Place  it  in  the  yard  where  it  will  not  be 
sheltered  by  trees  or  a  building.  After  every  rain  measure 
the  depth  of  water  in  the  pail  with  a  ruler,  empty  the 
pail,  and  set  it  ready  for  the  next  rain.  Keep  a  record  of 
your  work  and  see  how  much  rain  falls  in  a  month.  In 
some  one  of  the  towns  in  your  county  there  is  a  weather 


IOWA'S  GREATEST  INDUSTRY  — AGRICULTURE    55 

observer  who  sends  a  record  to  the  Iowa  Weather  and  Crop 
Service  in  Des  Moines  every  month.  Perhaps  you  can  find  out 
from  this  office  what  the  observer's  report  is  and  compare  it 
with  yours.  Why  might  his  record  and  yours  not  exactly  agree  ? 

Our  long,  hot  summer  days  with  bright  sunshine  and  warm 
nights  give  us  ideal  conditions  for  raising  corn.  We  have  on 
the  average  one  hundred  and  seventy  days  which  are  free  from 
frost.    W^hich  of  our  crops  ripens  latest  in  the  fall  ? 

The  Iowa  Weather  and  Crop  Service  has  kept  accurate 
record  of  our  weather  for  a  long  period.  These  government 
records  tell  us  that  the  lowest  temperature  we  have  had  since 
records  have  been  kept  was  forty-seven  degrees  below  zero. 
This  was  in  191 2.  The  highest  summer  temperature  we  ever 
had,  as  recorded  by  a  standard  thermometer,  was  one  hundred 
and  thirteen  degrees  above  zero  in  1901. 

You  may  have  heard  some  of  the  older  settlers  say  that 
Iowa's  climate  has  changed  much  since  the  early  days.  They 
say  that  the  winters  were  much  more  severe  then,  the  winds 
stronger,  the  snows  deeper,  and  the  temperatures  lower.  The 
records  kept  for  the  past  seventy  years  do  not  show  these  state- 
ments to  be  true.  There  are  many  things  which  might  have 
made  the  weather  seem  more  severe  in  those  days.  There 
were  few  groves  for  windbreaks.  The  settler  often  stacked  his 
hay  out  on  the  prairie  and  had  to  bring  in  loads  for  his  stock 
even  in  the  coldest  days.  He  had  to  drive  many  miles  in  a 
wagon  over  poor  roads  to  town  or  to  the  mill.  How  many 
hours  would  it  take  to  go  fifteen  miles  in  a  sleigh  or  farm 
wagon  ?  in  an  automobile  over  a  good  road  ?  Often  he  had  to 
drive  his  cattle  more  than  half  a  mile  across  the  open  prairie 
to  some  stream  and  cut  the  ice  in  order  that  the  cattle  might 
have  water.  The  houses  were  poorly  heated,  and  the  shelters 
for  stock  were  poor.  All  these  things  made  it  seem  colder  in 
those  days,  yet  the  lowest  record  by  an  accurate  thermometer 
was  in  191 2.  In  your  town  library  see  if  you  can  find  a  copy 
of  the  Palimpsest^  for  January,  1921,  and  read  in  it  the  story 
of  two  boys  lost  in  a  blizzard  near  Mason  City. 

'  Iowa  State  Historical  Society,  Iowa  City,  Iowa. 


CHAPTER  V 

OUR  CHIEF  CROPS 

Corn 

Now  that  we  have  learned  why  Iowa  is  a  great  farming  state, 
let  us  find  why  corn  is  its  most  important  crop.  In  a  recent 
year  Iowa  had  10.000,000  acres  in  corn,  5,670,000  acres  in  oats. 


Fig.  3i.    "The  Horn  of  Plenty"  was  Iowa's  corn  display  at  the  San  Francisco 

Exposition.  Perhaps  you  can  iind  someone  who  saw  it  there.  Iowa  won  a  grand 

prize  for  this  exhibit 

3,470,000  acres  in  hay,  and  1,700,000  acres  in  wheat.  These 
were  the  crops  to  which  the  farmers  gave  the  most  land.  Let 
one  inch  represent  2,000,000  acres,  and  make  a  graph.    How 

56 


OUR  CHIEF  CROPS 


57 


does  the  line  for  corn  compare  with  the  others  ?  It  must  pay 
well  to  give  up  so  much  of  our  land  to  corn,  or  farmers  would 
raise  other  crops  instead.  That  year  all  Iowa's  farm  crops 
were  worth  Sg 50,000,000,  while  the  corn  alone  was  worth 
$487,000,000.  What  part  of  the  total  value  was  corn? 
North  Dakota  that  year  had  only  508,000  acres  in  corn  and 
7,770,000   acres  in  wheat.    Minnesota  plants   more   land   in 

MILLIONS  OF  BUSHELS 
120  180  240  300 


Illinois 


Ohio 


Nebraska 


Missouri 
Fig.  34.  Graph  showing  comparative  production  of  the  leading  corn-raising  states 


wheat  because  in  that  state  that  crop  pays  well.  Texas,  Ala- 
bama, and  Georgia  give  a  large  share  of  their  lands  to  cotton 
because  their  long  summers  permit  them  to  raise  that  crop  and 
it  pays  them  well. 

Corn  requires  a  rich  loam  soil — one  which  is  easily  culti- 
vated and  has  plenty  of  plant  food — and  an  abundance  of  rain 
during  the  growing  season.  It  needs  a  long,  warm  summer 
with  warm  nights  and  at  least  five  months  free  from  frost. 
It  grows  best  where  there  is  some  frost  just  after  ripening  time. 
Study  this  list  of  conditions  and  tell  why  you  think  Iowa  should 
be  a  good  corn  state.  Be  prepared  to  prove  every  claim  you 
make  for  Iowa.  Do  you  think  any  state  in  the  Union  could  be 
better  off  in  this  respect  than  we  are  ?    ( See  Fig.  33.) 

Illinois  is  the  closest  rival  of  Iowa,  yet  for  several  years 
the  corn   production  of   Iowa  has  exceeded   that  of   Illinois 


5S  \0\\\  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 

(  Fi«,^  34).    At  the  present  time  Iowa  produces  about  one  eighth 
of  all  the  eorn  raised  in  the  Tnited  States. 

riu'  rose  nKi_\'  bloom  for  England, 

The  lily  for  iMance  unfold  ; 
Irelantl  may  honor  the  shamrock, 

Scotland  her  thistle  bold  ; 
But  the  shield  of  the  great  Repubhc, 

The  glory  of  the  West, 
Shall  be  a  stalk  of  tasseled  corn. 

The  sun's  supreme  bequest.  Proctor 

The  farmer  plows  the  land  for  corn  either  in  the  fall  or  in 
the  spring.  Can  you  think  of  reasons  why  it  might  be  better  to 
jilow  it  in  the  fall?  After  the  field  has  been  pulverized  and 
dragged,  a  corn  planter  is  used  to  plant  the  corn  in  rows.  How 
many  kernels  of  corn  are  commonly  planted  in  a  hill?  Some 
books  tell  of  planting  corn  by  hand.  Why  is  this  not  done  in 
Iowa?  In  which  month  is  corn  planted?  When  corn  comes 
up  it  is  carefully  cultivated  until  it  is  too  high  for  this  to  be 
done  without  injury  to  the  plant.  What  is  the  object  in  culti- 
vating it  50  much  ?  Where  is  the  flower  of  the  corn  plant  ?  Of 
what  use  is  the  silk  ? 

Farmers  choose  their  seed  corn  very  carefully  (Fig.  35). 
Why  ?  If  each  acre  of  corn  planted  in  the  state  could  be  made 
to  yield  five  bushels  more  than  it  does  now,  how  much  would 
that  mean  for  the  whole  state?  The  average  yield  per  acre 
in  the  whole  state  for  a  period  of  ten  years  was  thirty-six  and 
a  half  bushels.  In  1920  the  state  averaged  forty-six  bushels 
per  acre.  This  is  the  best  average  per  acre  on  record  for  Iowa. 
How  can  the  average  be  increased  ?  What  is  the  average  yield 
in  your  county  ? 

Let  us  find  out  how  the  farmer  disposes  of  his  corn.  A  part 
of  the  crop  may  be  cut  while  it  is  still  green,  then  shredded, 
and  put  in  a  silo.  Find  a  picture  of  a  silo.  Why  do  farmers 
use  silos  ?  Why  are  you  especially  likely  to  find  one  on  a  dairy 
farm?  Sometimes  the  silo  is  filled  with  the  shredded  ripened 
cornstalks.    Notice   the   shredder    (Fig.   36).    Some  of   these 


OUR  CHIEF  CROPS 


59 


machines  husk  the  corn  before  shredding  the  stalks  (Fig.  60). 
It  is  then  stored  in  a  crib.  Others  shred  corn  ears  and  corn- 
stalks. With  what  other  substances  are  silos  sometimes  filled  ? 
Much  of  the  corn  is  husked  in  the  field  either  by  hand 
or  by  the  use  of  a  husking  machine.    How  much  corn  can  the 


Fig.  35.    To  insure  good  seed,  the  farmer  selects  his  corn  from  the  I'ldd  before 
frost,  stores  it  properly,  and  tests  it  before  planting 


average  man  husk  by  hand  in  a  day?  When  the  stalks  are 
left  standing  in  the  field  are  they  of  any  use?  When  are 
the  farmers  usually  through  husking  ? 

After  the  farmer  has  finished  his  husking  he  may  have  many 
hundreds  of  bushels  of  corn  stored  in  his  cribs.  If  he  is  fatten- 
ing hogs  or  feeding  cattle  he  may  need  all  the  corn  that  he  has 
raised.  If  he  is  not  going  to  use  it  all  he  may  send  some  of  it 
to  the  nearest  market.  Why  does  he  usually  shell  the  corn 
before  marketing  it?  Are  the  cobs  of  any  use?  Some  of  our 
corn  goes  to  states  where  less  corn  is  produced,  and  some  of  it 


6o 


TOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 


is  sent  to  European  countries  to  be  used  for  the  feeding  of 
stock.    How  much  is  corn  worth  per  bushel  today? 

We  have  three  factories  in  Iowa  which  use  milHons  of  bushels 
of  corn  in  making  sirups  and  starch.  These  factories  are  located 
at  Cedar  Rapids,  Clinton,  and  Keokuk.    There  are  millions  of 

pounds  of  corn  sirup 
and  corn  sugar  made 
yearly  in  the  United 
States.  You  probably 
know  corn  sirup  best 
in  the  form  of  table 
sirup ;  it  has,  how- 
ever, many  other 
uses.  It  is  used  in 
making  candy,  pre- 
serves, and  mince- 
meats, and  also  in 
making  shoe  polish 
and  in  silvering 
mirrors. 

In  making  corn  in- 
to sirup  the  shelled 
corn  is  cleaned  to 
take  out  bits  of  husk 
and  cob,  and  then  it 
is  soaked  in  warm 
water  until  it  is  soft. 
The  germ  is  next  taken  out.  Split  a  kernel  of  corn  carefully 
and  find  the  germ.  When  corn  is  planted,  of  what  special  use 
is  the  germ?  This  germ  is  largely  made  up  of  oil.  The  germ 
is  ground  and  cooked  and  the  oil  is  squeezed  out.  Have  you 
ever  used  any  of  this  corn  oil  for  cooking  in  your  homes? 
Some  of  it  is  used  in  making  soap.  The  corn-oil  cake  which 
is  left  is  used  for  feeding  cattle. 

After  the  germ  has  been  taken  out,  the  remainder  of  the 
kernel  is  ground  fine  and  run  through  sieves,  which  take  out 
the  bran.    Then  the  starch  and  gluten,  which  make  up  the  inner 


Fig.  36.     This  corn  shredder  blows  the  shredded 

stalks  into  the  silo.  Of  what  material  is  the  silo  built  ? 

(Courtesy  of  Iowa  State  Agricultural  College) 


OUR  CHIEF  CROPS  6i 

part  of  the  grain,  have  to  be  separated.  Gluten  is  lighter  than 
starch,  so  the  mass  is  put  into  slightly  sloping  troughs  of  water, 
in  which  the  starch  settles  to  the  bottom  and  the  gluten  flows 
out  with  the  water  at  the  end  of  the  trough.  The  gluten  is 
mixed  with  the  bran,  then  dried  and  ground  and  sold  as  stock 
food. 

The  starch  is  the  part  in  which  we  are  most  interested.  It 
is  cooked  in  a  water  containing  some  acid.  This  changes  the 
starch  into  sugar.  The  sirup  is  purified  by  filtering  through 
bone  charcoal.  Finally  it  is  boiled  until  it  is  thick.  Name 
all  the  things  which  this  one  factory  makes.  How  many  of 
them  come  back  to  the  farm  ? 

We  have  not  space  here  to  name  all  the  products  made  from 
corn,  but  you  may  make  two  lists  of  corn  products:  one  to 
contain  products  from  the  kernel;  the  other,  products  from 
other  parts  of  the  plant. 

Wheat 

You  have  already  concluded  from  the  graph  you  made  at  the 
beginning  of  this  chapter  that  wheat  is  not  an  important  crop  in 
Iowa.  There  was  a  time,  long  ago,  when  Iowa  ranked  second 
among  the  wheat-producing  states  of  the  United  States ;  Illinois 
alone  ranked  higher.  That  was  before  Iowa  farmers  found  that 
it  was  more  profitable  to  raise  corn  and  feed  it  to  cattle  and 
hogs  than  it  was  to  raise  wheat. 

Both  spring  and  winter  wheat  are  grown  in  Iowa,  but  in  the 
past  few  years  the  proportion  of  winter  wheat  has  been  greatly 
increased.  Winter  wheat  is  sown  in  September  and  thus  gets 
the  benefit  of  the  fall  rains.  Find  out  just  how  the  ground  is 
made  ready  for  wheat  and  how  the  wheat  is  planted.  Winter 
wheat  grows  in  the  fall  to  a  height  of  perhaps  two  inches.  It 
dies  down  when  the  hard  frosts  come  and  springs  up  from  the 
roots  when  the  weather  becomes  warm  in  April.  If  there  is  very 
little  snow  to  cover  the  fields,  and  thaws  are  followed  by  cold 
weather,  winter  wheat  does  not  do  well,  and  later  the  farmer 
may  have  to  plant  some  other  crop  in  its  place.    In  a  favorable 


IOWA  STATK  (ilXKlRArHV 


season  the  yield  may  reach  thirty-five  bushels  an  acre.  Iowa's 
greatest  fields  of  winter  wheat  are  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
state.    Can  you  see  any  reason  for  this? 

Sprinjj;  wheat  is  j-danted  late  in  IVIarch  or  early  in  April.    It  is 
ready  to  harvest  late  in  July,  about  two  weeks  after  the  winter 

wheat  has  been  cut.  How 
is  wheat  cut?  After  It 
has  been  shocked,  it 
stands  for  about  two 
weeks  to  become  thor- 
oughly dry.  It  is  then 
threshed  or  stacked.  For 
what  is  the  straw  used  ? 
The  wheat  is  stored  in 
bins  if  the  farmer  expects 
to  keep  it  for  some  time, 
or  it  may  be  taken  direct 
to  the  market  (Fig.  37), 
From  the  market  it  goes 
to  the  flour  mills  either 
in  Iowa  or  in  some  other 
state. 

Iowa  has  a  great  many 
flour  mills  (Fig. 38).  Find 
out  how  many  there  are 
in  your  county  and  where 
each  is.  Are  they  run  by 
water-power  or  by  steam  ?  If  a  bushel  of  wheat  makes  twenty- 
seven  pounds  of  flour,  how  much  flour  would  be  made  from  the 
wheat  crop  given  in  the  table  on  page  151  ?  If  five  bushels  of 
wheat  per  person  is  the  average  yearly  allowance,  how  many 
persons  would  this  crop  feed  ?  Would  it  feed  all  the  people  of 
Iowa  for  one  year?  If  you  could  go  to  one  of  the  mills  near 
your  home  you  might  see  the  wheat  weighed  and  screened  and 
scoured  before  it  is  ready  for  grinding.  It  is  then  put  through 
several  sets  of  roughrsurfaced  steel  rollers. 


Fig.  37.  Have  you  ever  seen  one  of  these 
elevators  being  filled  with  grain  ?  How  is 
the  grain  loaded  from  the  elevator  into  cars  ? 


OUR  CHIEF  CROPS 


63 


If  you  should  look  through  a  powerful  microscope  at  a  grain 
of  wheat  which  you  had  cut  open,  you  would  find  the  outer 
brown  coats  which  make  the  bran,  then  a  hard,  yellowish  coat 
of  gluten,  and,  inside  of  all,  the  white  starch  cells.  The  gluten 
and  the  starch  are  in  the  flour,  but  the  bran  coats  are  sifted  out. 


Fig.  38.    This  great  flour  mill  in  Des  Moines  can  make  twelve  hundred  and  fifty 

barrels  of  flour  in  "one  day.    Find  out  how  many  bushels  of  wheat  would  be 

needed  for  this.    This  mill  uses  Kansas,  Iowa,  and  Dakota  wheat  and  ships  many 

carloads  of  flour  to  the  eastern  part  of  the  United  States 


The  first  sets  of  rollers  which  the  wheat  goes  through  remove 
some  of  the  bran  and  make  a  little  flour.  Each  set  of  rollers 
crushes  out  a  little  more  flour  until  all  is  ground.  A  fine  silk 
bolting-cloth  sieve  is  used  after  each  grinding  to  separate  the 
flour  from  the  bran. 

For  what  is  bran  used?  Which  breakfast  foods  are  made 
from  wheat?  What  did  we  use  in  place  of  wheat  during  the 
war  ?    Why  ? 


64 


IOWA  STATK  Gi:OGRAPHY 


Oats 

If  some  grains  of  wheat,  barley,  and  oats  were  placed  be- 
fore you  could  you  tell  which  was  which  ?  If  you  saw  ripened 
fields  of  each  of  these  grains  could  you  properly  name  them? 
In  a  recent  year  Iowa  raised  5,670,000  acres  of  oats.  The 
average  yield  was  34.6  bushels  per  acre.    What  was  the  total 


Fig.  39.    This  is  unu  of  the  lurKc  oatmeal  mills  in  Cedar  Rapids.    Oatmeal  is  only 

one  of  many  cereal  foods  manufactured  in  Cedar  Rapids.    Perhaps  you  can  find 

out  what  the  others  are 


yield  in  bushels?  The  average  price  was  64  cents  a  bushel. 
At  this  rate,  what  was  the  value  of  the  total  crop  ?  For  what  is 
oat  straw  used  ?  The  United  States  leads  the  world  in  the  pro- 
duction of  oats,  and  Iowa  is  the  leading  oat-producing  state  in 
the  country.  Every  county  in  the  state  grows  oats.  Much  of 
the  grain  is  fed  to  stock  on  the  farm.  To  what  stock  is  it  fed  ? 
Some  is  sold  to  other  states  for  stock-feeding,  and  some  to 
Iowa's  oatmeal  mills  (Fig.  39).  Cedar  Rapids  has  two  fac- 
tories which  are  known  all  over  the  country.  One  plant  uses 
20,000,000  bushels  of  oats  each  year.  Some  of  the  oatmeal 
made  in  Cedar  Rapids  is  sent  to  foreign  countries.  Have  you 
used  oatmeal  made  in  Cedar  Rapids? 


OUR  CHIEF  CROPS 


65 


Other  Farm  Products 

We  have  seen  that  corn,  oats,  and  wheat  are  the  farmer's 
most  important  grains,  but  he  has  other  crops.  Barley  is 
raised  in  all  parts  of  the  state.  For  what  is  it  used  ?  If  you 
lived  in  some  of  the  countries  of  Europe  you  might  have  to 
eat  barley  bread.    We  used  it  in  war  times,  but  we  prefer  wheat 


Fig.  40.    These  hogs  are  feeding  on  alfalfa.    Corn  and  alfalfa  make  a  suitable 
mixed  ration  for  feeding 


flour.  Perhaps  you  have  eaten  the  pearl  barley,  which  is  used 
in  soups.  From  the  table  on  page  151  compare  the  acreage  and 
value  of  barley  with  other  farm  products  of  Iowa. 

Iowa  has  more  acres  in  hay  than  in  wheat,  and  thousands 
of  acres  in  alfalfa  and  pasturage.  Why  are  these  crops  so  im- 
portant (Fig.  40)?  How  does  alfalfa  differ  from  clover  in 
appearance  ? 

Iowa  produces  some  buckwheat,  and  a  few  thousand  acres  of 
flax  to  make  the  linseed  oil  used  in  painting  our  houses.  Have 
you  seen  either  of  these  crops  growing  in  your  part  of  the  state  ? 
One  of  them  has  a  beautiful  blue  flower.    Which  is  it  ? 


66  IOWA  SI  ATK  (iKOCiRAPHY 

Iowa  is  a  good  potato-growing  state,  but  we  rank  much  lower 
than  the  states  farther  north — such  states  as  Maine,  New  York, 
Michigan,  Wisconsin,  and  Minnesota.  Potatoes  are  such  a 
common  croji  that  it  is  hard  for  us  to  reahze  that  they  were 
once  grown  as  curiosities  in  flower  gardens.  The  potato  was 
discovered  in  western  South  America  by  early  explorers.  Some 
potatoes  were  taken  to  V'irginia  and  later  from  there  to  Ireland. 
Why  are  they  now  called  Irish  potatoes?  The  part  of  the 
potato  plant  which  you  eat  is  the  underground  stem.  If  you 
look  carefully  in  a  potato  field  you  may  find  the  potato  fruit ; 
it  is  a  small,  round,  purple  seed  ball. 

More  than  $500,000,000  worth  of  sugar  beets  are  raised 
annually  in  Iowa.  We  shall  find  out  a  little  later  what  is  done 
with  them. 

]\Iake  a  list  of  Iowa  farm  crops  not  mentioned  in  this  text. 

When  we  think  of  certain  states  we  invariably  connect  them 
with  great  fruit-growing  industries.  For  instance,  California, 
with  oranges;  Michigan,  with  peaches;  New  York,  with 
grapes ;  and  Washington,  with  apples.  Iowa  has  no  such 
distinctive  fruit-growing  industry,  yet  on  the  whole  it  pro- 
duces a  large  variety  and  a  creditable  amount  of  fruit.  Make 
a  list  of  the  different  fruits  grown  in  your  neighborhood.  Add 
to  this  list  fruits  grown  in  other  parts  of  the  state  but  not  near 
your  home.  Is  this  fruit  all  grown  for  home  use  or  is  some 
of  it  shipped  ? 

Iowa  harvested  nearly  two  million  bushels  of  apples  in  191 9. 
This  is  not  very  much  in  comparison  with  New  York's  crop, 
but  it  is  enough  to  enable  Iowa  to  rank  eighteenth  in  the  apple- 
producing  states  of  the  United  States. 

In  some  small  fruits — strawberries, 'for  example — Iowa  pro- 
duction is  heavy.  One  place  in  Iowa  is  famous  for  the  growing 
of  melons  and  sweet  potatoes.  It  is  a  tract  of  sandy  soil  near 
Muscatine,  part  of  which  is  known  as  Muscatine  Island. 
W^atermelons  and  sweet  potatoes  and  many  other  garden  crops 
grow  well  on  sandy  ground,  especially  if  it  is  irrigated.  Each 
year  more  than  a  thousand  carloads  of  melons,  including  both 
cantaloupes  and  watermelons,  are  produced  there.    Two  thirds 


OUR  CHIEF  CROPS  67 

of  these  go  to  the  outside  markets,  as  these  melons  are  much  in 
demand  on  account  of  their  superior  quahty.  More  than  a 
thousand  acres  on  Muscatine  Island  are  planted  yearly  to  sweet 
potatoes.  The  yield  is  about  a  hundred  bushels  per  acre.  One 
part  of  this  tract  is  especially  good  for  asparagus,  and  two  or 
three  hundred  acres  of  it  are  grown  for  local  canneries.  It  is 
said  to  be  finer  than  the  asparagus  grown  in  California.  Cab- 
bages, tomatoes,  onions,  and  cucumbers  are  also  grown  here, 
chiefly  for  local  canning  and  pickling. 

There  is  a  section  of  country  around  Osage  well  known  for 
the  growing  of  fruit  and  vegetables.  Several  places  in  the  state 
grow  vegetables  for  their  seeds.  Look  on  seed  packages  to 
find  the  names  of  these  places. 


CHAPTER  VI 
THE  LIVE-STOCK  INDUSTRY 

Swine 

It  has  been  said  that  most  of  Iowa's  corn  ''goes  to  market 
on  the  hoof."  What  does  this  mean  ?  Iowa  raises  more 
hogs  than  any  other  two  states  combined.  Look  carefully  at 
Fig.  41  and  find  which  are  Iowa's  closest  rivals.    By  looking 


Iowa 


Indiana 


Missouri 


Ohio 


Fig.  41.  Graph  showing  comparative  production  of  the  leading  swine-raising  states 


at  the  graph  you  will  find  out  what  becomes  of  a  large  part  of 
the  Iowa  corn  crop.  It  has  been  estimated  that  one  third  of  the 
whole  corn  crop  of  the  United  States  is  fed  to  hogs.  Hogs  are 
great  corn  condensers.  The  United  States  produces  all  the 
pork  and  pork  products  that  can  be  used  at  home.  In  addition, 
in  a  recent  year,  more  than  two  and  a  quarter  billion  pounds 
were  exported.  You  may  therefore  judge  that  many  of  the 
swine  which  you  see  on  Iowa  farms  will  some  day  take  an  ocean 
voyage.  Do  you  suppose  the  foreign  purchaser  will  know 
anything  about  the  state  from  which  the  pork  he  is  buying 
came?  Iowa  raises  a  seventh  of  all  the  swine  raised  in  the 
United  States. 

68 


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THE  LIVE-STOCK  INDUSTRY 


69 


Iowa  breeders  raise  both  what  are  called  bacon  hogs  and  lard 
hogs,  but  many  more  of  the  latter  (Fig.  42).    In  other  places 


Fig.  42.    This  row  of  corn  cribs  explains  why  the  lard  type  of  hog  is  so  profitable 
in  Iowa.    Do  the  farmers  in  your  neighborhood  feed  all  the  corn  they  raise  ? 


Fig.  43.    This  concrete  hog  wallow  is  tilled  with  water  with  a  coating  of  crude  oil. 
Iowa  farmers  take  care  to  keep  the  skin  of  their  hogs  clean  and  free  from  insects 


where  corn  is  not  so  plentiful  as  it  is  here,  and  where  more 
barley  and  green  fodder  are  used,  more  bacon  hogs  are  raised. 


70  IO\\A  SIATIC  C;i<:OGRAPHY 

It  is  easy  to  fatten  hogs  on  corn,  so  it  is  more  profitable  to  raise 
the  lard  type  of  hog.  If  you  turn  to  page  153  you  will  learn 
about  the  differences  between  these  types.  In  some  parts  of 
I'Airope  swine  range  through  the  forest  and  fatten  on  nuts. 
In  the  rhilipi)ine  Islands  they  feed  on  coconuts. 

To  what  place  do  the  farmers  near  you  ship  their  hogs? 
IMany  are  shipped  from  this  state  to  Chicago,  which  is  the 
chief  pork-packing  center  of  the  country.   Very  many  of  the 


Fig.  44.    This  is  the  cattle  division  of  the  Sioux  City  stockyards.    From  what 

states  might  these  cattle  have  come  ?    What  will  the  bales  of  hay  be  used  for  ? 

When  the  cattle  are  taken  from  these  yards,  where  will  they  be  sent  ?    You  see 

only  the  cattle  division ;  what  other  divisions  should  you  expect  to  find  here  ? 

Iowa  railroads  terminate  in  that  city.  Sioux  City  is  the  chief 
packing  center  of  Iowa.  Look  at  the  picture  of  the  stockyards 
(Fig.  44)  and  note  the  scores  of  small  pens  in  which  cattle, 
hogs,  and  sheep  are  placed  when  they  are  unloaded  from  the 
stock  trains.  This  is  Sioux  City's  largest  industry,  in  which 
nearly  four  thousand  persons  are  employed. 

Stockyards  are  busy  places.  If  you  ever  have  a  chance  to 
visit  one  be  sure  to  do  so.  The  managers  of  most  packing- 
houses are  very  willing  to  show  visitors  through  the  buildings 
and  explain  the  work  that  is  being  done. 

As  the  stock  is  unloaded  from  the  cars  it  is  carefully  looked 
over  by  a  United  States  government  inspector  to  make  sure  that 


THE  LIVE-STOCK  INDUSTRY  71 

none  of  the  animals  are  diseased  and  unfit  for  food.  There  are 
several  well-known  packing  firms  in  the  Sioux  City  yards. 
Each  firm  has  its  own  buyers.  They  know  where  to  find  each 
carload  of  cattle,  hogs,  and  sheep  as  it  is  received.  When  the 
purchase  is  completed  the  stock  is  turned  over  to  the  proper 
slaughter  house. 

If  the  hogs  are  to  be  slaughtered  at  once  they  are  driven  to 
the  proper  building.  There  are  many  mechanical  devices  de- 
signed to  save  time  in  each  process  in  the  slaughtering  and 
packing  houses.  After  the  slaughtering,  the  carcass  is  quickly 
passed  through  a  tank  of  hot  water  and  the  bristles  are  scraped 
off  by  machinery.  The  skins  might  be  used  for  certain  kinds  of 
leather,  but  the  meat  will  not  keep  well  after  the  skin  has  been 
taken  off.  After  the  dressing  of  the  carcass  is  finished,  it  is 
taken  to  a  cooling-room,  where  it  hangs  for  more  than  twenty- 
four  hours.  It  is  then  cut  into  the  pieces  which  you  see  in  the 
butcher  shops.  Some  of  the  meat  is  salted  and  some  is  sold 
fresh.  A  great  deal  of  the  meat  is  shipped  to  the  eastern  part  of 
our  country,  where  there  are  many  large  cities,  and  some  is  sent 
direct  to  foreign  countries.  A  considerable  portion  is  pur- 
chased by  the  Iowa  town  markets.  It  is  not  impossible  that 
parts  of  the  same  hog  shipped  from  a  given  town  may  be  re- 
turned to  that  same  town  in  the  form  of  fresh  or  cured  meat. 
Why  can  the  packing-houses  do  all  this  work  more  cheaply  than 
can  the  farmers?    What  is  a  refrigerator  car? 

Cattle 

Iowa  raises  cattle  for  two  purposes — for  beef  and  for  the 
dairy.  Study  Figs.  45  and  46  to  see  what  differences  you  can 
find  between  beef  and  dairy  types  of  cattle.  Fig.  104  shows 
three  different  breeds  of  beef  cattle.  Which  do  you  think  is 
the  best?  Why?  What  breeds  of  dairy  cattle  are  raised  in 
your  neighborhood  ?  Which  breed  is  best  for  butter  ?  Which 
gives  the  greatest  amount  of  milk  ?  Are  the  dairy  herds  in  your 
neighborhood  tuberculin-tested?  Why  is  it  well  to  have  this 
done  ?    How  does  Iowa  rank  as  a  cattle-producing  state  ? 


72  IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 

Many  Iowa  farmers  raise  their  own  herds  of  beef  cattle. 
Others  go  to  a  cattle-shipping  center  and  buy  cattle  which  have 
been  shipped  in  from  the  Western  states  and  which  are  not  yet 
fat  enough  for  slaughter.  The  farmer  then  fattens  them  for 
market.  In  what  kinds  of  cars  are  cattle  shipped  to  the 
stockyards  ? 

At  the  stockyards  the  cattle  are  inspected  and  sold  in  much 
the  same  way  as  the  swine.  After  being  slaughtered  they  are 
skinned.  This  is  done  very  carefully,  so  that  no  holes  are  cut 
in  the  hides.  The  hides  are  sold  to  the  tanneries.  What  is 
done  to  them  there?  Who  buys  them  from  the  tanneries? 
When  we  have  finished  this  discussion  you  may  write  an  answer 
to  this  question  :  Suppose  a  beef  animal  were  shipped  from 
your  town  to  the  packing-house,  how  many  different  parts  of 
it  might  come  back  to  you? 

As  the  carcass  moves  on  its  overhead  pulley  down  the  line  of 
workmen,  each  does  his  special  piece  of  work.  Between  the 
time  when  the  work  of  slaughtering  is  commenced  and  the  time 
when  the  carcass  is  ready  to  go  to  the  cooling-room,  more  than 
a  dozen  men  may  have  done  some  work  on  it,  and  yet  the 
whole  time  has  been  less  than  half  an  hour. 

Every  part  is  carefully  saved.  The  blood  and  other  parts 
which  can  be  used  for  nothing  else  go  to  the  fertilizer  plant; 
the  hoofs  are  used  for  glue ;  gelatin  is  made  from  the  feet ; 
the  horns  are  used  in  making  combs,  buttons,  knife  handles, 
and  many  other  things;  the  bones  are  used  for  buttons  or 
knife  handles  or  are  ground  up  into  bone  meal.  For  what  is 
this  ground  bone  used?  Some  of  the  fat  is  used  to  make 
oleomargarine  and  some  is  used  in  soap-making.  What  else 
besides  fat  is  necessary  to  make  soap  ?  The  meat  itself  is  sold 
fresh  or  is  salted  or  canned.  The  scraps  are  used  in  making 
canned  soups.  Look  at  advertisements  of  canned  meats  and 
soups  to  find  in  what  form  they  are  put  up.  Canned  meats  from 
the  United  States  are  used  all  over  the  world. 

The  Sioux  City  packing-houses  slaughtered  more  than  two 
million  animals  in  a  recent  year.  Among  the  great  packing- 
plants  of  the  country  those  of  Sioux  City  rank  sixth.    In  the 


Fig.  45.    Eudora,  a  fine-looking  Angus.    Compare  her  blocky,  rectangular  form 
with  that  of  the  angular  Holstein  shown  below 


Fig.  46.    Ormsby  Buffalo  Mercedes,  whose  record  for  seven  days  is  648  pounds 
of  milk  and  33  pounds  of  butter.    Find  .similar  records  for  cows  near  your  home 


74 


10\\A  STATK  (;i:OGRAPHY 


statr  of  Iowa  arc  a  number  of  slaughtering  and  packing 
eslablishnuMits.  Among  the  larger  ones  are  those  at  Cedar 
Rapids,  Ottumwa,  and  Waterloo.  You  can  find  where  others 
are  located  by  referring  to  the  last  chapter  of  this  book.  Would 
it  not  be  a  good  thing  for  Iowa  if  all  the  meat-producing  animals 


Fig.  47.    First  Prize  Shorlhorn  Herd.    Are  Uiese  beef  or  dairy  cattle  ?    Are  all 
Shorthorns  white  ?    How  many  different  ages  are  shown  in  the  picture  ? 

we  raise  could  be  slaughtered  in  our  own  state  ?  It  would  give 
employment  to  thousands  of  men  and  build  up  home  industries, 
besides  making  the  cost  of  the  finished  product  less  by  the 
saving  in  freight  charges. 

Now  you  are  ready  to  answer  the  question  asked  at  the 
beginning  of  the  chapter. 

Sheep 

Iowa  ranks  high  in  the  raising  of  both  cattle  and  swine.  Why 
does  it  rank  so  low  in  sheep-raising?  If  you  had  a  good  Iowa 
farm    and    wanted    to    raise   sheep,    what   part    of    the    farm 


THE  LIVE-STOCK  INDUSTRY 


75 


should  you  use  for  this  purpose?  Should  you  give  up  some 
of  your  best  corn  and  oat  fields?  Should  you  give  your  best 
pasture  lands?  Could  you  use  some  of  the  swampy  places? 
Give  your  reasons  carefully  and  decide  just  what  part  of  the 
farm  you  should  use,  and  why.  After  you  have  done  this 
explain  why  Iowa  does  not  raise  more  sheep.  What  parts  of 
the  United  States  do  you  think  might  profitably  raise  sheep? 
Find  a  list  of  sheep-raising  states  and  see  if  your  judgment 
was  good. 

Nevertheless,  in  a  recent  year  Iowa  raised  nearly  a  million 
sheep,  and  fed  a  third  as  many  more  which  had  been  shipped 
in  from  other  states  to  fatten.  Besides  the  mutton  these  sheep 
yielded  more  than  four  million  pounds  of  wool.  Of  what  use 
are  sheepskins  ? 

Following  is  the  report  of  the  state  Dairy  and  Food  Commis- 
sioner. We  shall  need  to  use  it  again  when  we  study  the 
manufacture  of  creamery  butter.  Do  not  try  to  remember 
these  figures,  but  examine  the  last  item  in  the  list  and  tell  why 
it  pays  the  farm.er  to  keep  live  stock  on  his  farm  if  he  wishes 
to  raise  good  crops  of  grain.  In  many  parts  of  the  United 
States  it  is  necessary  for  farmers  to  pay  out  hundreds  of 
dollars  for  fertilizers. 


PRODUCTION  IN  IOWA  FROM  JULY  1,   1919,  TO  JULY   1,   1920 


Creamery  butter  (86,219,612 
Ice  cream    .... 
Market  milk 
Cheese  (7QO.123  lb.)     . 
Cottage  cheese  (2,000,000  lb. 
Farm  dairy  butter  . 
Condensed   milk 
Skim  milk  and  buttermilk 
Fertilizer       .... 
Total     .... 


b.) 


$47,864,453 

6,795.943 
28,875,000 

197,570 

320,000 

19,500,000 

733,521 

16,000,000 

30,000,000 

$150,286,448 


76 


IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 


Horses 

Since  Iowa  ranks  so  high  in  the  number  of  automobiles 
which  it  uses,  one  might  think  that  the  number  of  horses  which 
it  raises  vvoukl  be  greatly  decreased.  This  is  not  the  case. 
Today  Iowa  ranks  first  among  the  states  in  the  number  of 
horses  it  produces  (  Fig.  48).  Why  does  Iowa  continue  to  raise 
so  many?  What  breeds  are  most  commonly  raised?  What 
are  the  special  needs  in  Iowa  for  heavy  draft  horses?    What 

HUNDRED  THOUSAND  HEAD 
a  ti  9  12 

Iowa 


Texas 


Kansas 


Missouri 

Nebraska 

Fig.  48.    Graph  showing  comparative  production  of  horse-raising  states 

crops  are  especially  adapted  to  the  feeding  of  horses?  Why 
is  it  possible  for  Iowa  to  export  so  many  of  these  animals? 

Iowa  farmers  are  making  great  efforts  to  improve  their 
horses.  Many  fine  ones  have  been  brought  here  from  Belgium, 
from  England,  from  France,  and  from  Scotland.  You  can 
learn  more  about  these  in  the  closing  chapter  of  this  book. 
Notice  the  picture  of  Jalap  (Fig.  49).  So  many  of  the  horses 
of  this  breed  were  killed  during  the  war  in  France — the 
country  from  which  our  Percherons  have  come — that  we  shall 
now  have  to  help  in  restoring  them. 

What  breed  do  we  get  from  Scotland?  from  France?  The 
picture  taken  in  front  of  the  stock-judging  building  at  Ames 
( Fig.  90 )  shows  you  how  the  agricultural  college  there  is 
helping  Iowa  boys  to  judge  horses. 


THE  LIVE-STOCK  INDUSTRY 


77 


Poultry 

A  number  of  years  ago  someone  wrote,  ''Every  three  months 
the  Iowa  hen  pays  for  Iowa."  He  meant  that,  assuming 
that  Iowa  was  bought  from  the  Indians  at  the  rate  of  8  cents 
per  acre,  the  eggs  laid  by  our  hens  in  three  months  would 
pay  for  the  purchase.  When  that  statement  was  written  the 
poultry  business  was  not  nearly  so  important  as  it  is  now.  The 
Dairy  and  Food  Commissioner's  report  for  a  recent  year  shows 
that  the  egg  output 
for  the  year  was 
worth  $51,000,000. 
In  the  closing  chap- 
ter find  the  area  of 
Iowa.  There  are 
640  acres  in  each 
square  mile.  Find 
out  how  long  it 
would  have  taken 
the  ''Iowa  hen  to 
pay  for  Iowa"  that 
year  at  the  rate  the 
Indians  were  paid. 
This  may  be  a  hard 
problem,  but  it  will 
be  fun  to  work  it. 

It  is  said  that  in 
the    United    States 

we  have  eighty-seven  varieties  of  chickens  (Fig.  50).  Many 
of  these  have  been  brought  in  from  foreign  countries — from 
China,  England,  Spain,  Germany,  and  many  other  places. 
Make  a  list  of  all  the  different  kinds  which  you  know.  One 
type  may  be  a  better  layer  than  others,  while  one  may  grow 
more  rapidly  and  sooner  become  fit  for  broiling.  One  type  may 
be  fairly  good  for  both  purposes.  Rhode  Island  Reds,  Ply- 
mouth Rocks,  Wyandottes,  and  Orpingtons  are  probably 
examples  of  types  with  which  you  are  most  familiar.    The 


Fig.  49.    This    is   "Jalap,"    a    beautiful    Norman 

Percheron   in    Black   Hawk   County.    From   what 

country  did  his  ancestors  come  ? 


IOWA  STATK  (M'OGRAPHY 


Fig.  50.    On  what  arc  little  chickens  fed  ?    How  long  will  they  stay  with  the 
mother  hen  ?    Many  chickens  are  hatched  in  incubators.    (Courtesy   of  Inter- 
national Harvester  Company) 

following  table  gives  the  average  price  of  eggs  in  Iowa  each 
month  of  a  certain  year.  In  which  months  are  the  highest 
prices  paid  ?    Explain  why  the  price  is  higher  in  these  months. 


January,  56  cents 
February,  45  cents 
March,  30  cents 
April,  34  cents 


May,  37  cents 
June,  38  cents 
July,  34  cents 
August,  37  cents 


September,  37  cents 

October,  41  cents 

November,  51  cents 

December,  57  cents 


Eggs  are  only  a  small  part  of  the  value  -of  the  poultry 
business.  Think  of  the  chickens,  the  geese,  the  ducks,  and 
the  turkeys  sold.  The  poultry  industry  is  much  more  valu- 
able to  Iowa  than  many  other  industries  more  widely  adver- 
tised. You  may  find  it  interesting  now  to  refer  to  the  table 
on  pages  151  and  152  (Iowa's  Source  of  Wealth). 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  NEW  FARMER 

Ten  or  twelve  years  ago  a  man  from  another  part  of  the 
United  States  wrote : 

To  see  the  new  farmer  at  his  best  I  went  to  Iowa.  No  other  state 
has  invested  so  much  money  in  labor-saving  machinery,  so  that  it  can 
fairly  claim  to  be  the  zenith  of  the  farming  world.  In  the  main  hall 
of  the  five-domed  Capitol  at  Des  Moines  is  a  life-sized  painting  of  a 
prairie  wagon  hauled  by  oxen.  In  such  a  rude  conveyance  as  this 
most  of  the  early  settlers  rolled  into  Iowa  at  the  gait  of  two  miles 
an  hour.  But  there  are  no  prairie  wagons  now,  nor  oxen.  Ten  thou- 
sand miles  of  railway  cross  the  state  and  make  more  profit  in  three 
months  than  all  the  railways  of  ancient  India  made  last  year.  Instead 
of  being  tax-ridden  serfs,  these  lowans  pay  the  total  self-governing 
cost  of  their  commonwealth  by  handing  over  the  price  of  the  sum- 
mer's hay.  The  story  of  these  corn  kings  is  staggering  to  a  mere  city 
dweller,  especially  to  one  who  has  cold-storage  ideas  about  farmers. 

When  our  ancestors  ''rolled  into  Iowa"  in  their  prairie 
wagons  they  brought  with  them  very  simple  and  primitive 
machinery.  Study  carefully  Fig.  30  and  see  some  of  the 
articles  brought  in  by  the  pioneers. 

One  of  the  first  things  the  pioneer  had  to  do  when  he  reached 
the  place  which  he  had  chosen  for  his  farm  was  to  build  a  home. 
His  chief  tool  in  this  work  was  the  ax.  He  had  probably  made 
much  use  of  his  ax  on  his  long  journey  from  the  East.  When 
the  site  for  the  home  was  chosen,  trees  were  cut  down  and  the 
branches  trimmed  off.  The  trunks  were  then  cut  into  logs  of 
the  right  length  for  the  sides  or  ends  of  the  house.  Some  of 
the  logs  were  cut  into  slabs  to  be  used  for  doors  and  floors.  The 
logs  for  the  walls  were  notched  and  bored  so  that  big  wooden 
pins  might  be  used  to  hold  them  together.  Why  were  nails 
not  used  ? 

79 


8o 


IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 


Often  the  neijj;hbors  j^athcred  to  help  roll  up  the  logs  for 
the  new  home,  for  it  was  heavy  work.  This  was  called  a  house- 
raising  bee.  \\'hen  the  logs  were  laid^  one  on  another  the 
chinks  between  were  filled  with  mud.    Look  at  the  picture  of 

a  log  cabin  still  standing 
in  Marion  County  (Fig. 
51  ).  It  is  much  better 
than  many  of  the  cabins 
in  those  days.  Of  what 
kinds  of  wood  might  you 
expect  these  cabins  in 
Iowa  to  be  built  ?  Some- 
times black  walnut  was 
used.  Why  is  it  not  pos- 
sible to  use  it  for  house- 
building today? 

Most  of  the  cabins 
were  of  one  story.  If 
there  were  upper  rooms 
they  were  reached  by  a 
ladder.  Window  panes 
were  often  only  pieces 
of  oiled  paper ;  rarely 
were  they  made  of  glass. 
A  great  fireplace  was  al- 
ways built  at  one  end  or 
side  of  the  room.  This 
served  for  cooking  and 
heating.  The  large  iron 
kettle  in  which  much  of 
the  cooking  was  done  hung  from  a  crane  over  the  fire.  Long- 
handled  frying  pans  or  skillets  were  used.  Why  were  they 
long-handled  ?  Find  out,  if  you  can,  how  meats  were  roasted. 
Sometimes  the  cabins  were  made  very  cozy  and  attractive. 
Skins  of  wild  animals  covered  the  bare  floor.  What  skins  might 
have  been  used  for  this?  Perhaps  someone  in  your  neighbor- 
hood can  tell  you  more  about  these  cabins  and  their  furniture. 


Fiu.  51.  This  building  is  known  as  the  Ruck- 
man  Cabin.  You  will  find  it  today  in  Marion 
County.  Thousands  of  Iowa  boys  and  girls 
lived  in  just  such  homes  as  this  in  pioneer 
days.  Many  of  the  cabins  were  not  nearly 
so  fine 


THE  NEW  FARMER 


8i 


In  the  northwestern  part  of  the  state  some  of  the  first 
settlers  built  sod  houses.  Why  did  not  the  settlers  in  the  south- 
eastern part  build  of  this  material? 

One  of  the  first  farm  implements  needed  was  the  breaking 
plow,  to  break  up  the  tough  sod  of  the  prairie.  On  this  over- 
turned sod  the  farmer  planted  his  corn  by  dropping  the 
kernels  in  holes  cut  with  an  ax  or  heavy  hoe.    To  keep  the  crop 


Fig.  52.    Cradles  such  as  these  were  used  by  many  Iowa  farmers.    Perhaps  you 
can  find  one  in  your  neighborhood.    How  does  it  differ  from  a  scythe  ? 


clean  after  it  came  up  required  a  good  many  weary  hours 
of  hoeing.  This  was  often  the  work  of  the  boys  in  the  family. 
Many  plowings  were  necessary  to  rid  these  fields  of  the  lumps 
of  tough  sod  and  make  them  easy  to  cultivate. 

The  farmer,  especially  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  state  and  in 
the  river  valleys,  often  fenced  his  fields  with  rails.  One  seldom 
saw  these  rail  fences  in  the  northwestern  part  of  Iowa.    Why  ? 

Wheat,  rye,  and  barley  were  sown  by  hand.  Explain  how 
the  sower  carried  his  seed.  The  crops  could  not  have  been 
harvested  on  those  rough  sod  fields  with  the  harvesters  of 
today,  even  if  the  farmers  had  them ;  but  there  was  no 
such  machinery  in  Iowa  then.  To  cut  the  grains  in  those 
earliest  days  a  sickle  or  a  scythe  was  used.    What  difference  is 


82  IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 

there  between  them  ?  The  cradle  was  an  improvement  on  both 
of  these.  Look  at  the  picture  of  a  cradle  (Fig.  52).  It  was 
better  because  it  gathered  the  grain  together  so  that  it  was 
more  easily  made  into  bundles.  With  what  were  these  bundles 
tied  ?  You  may  find  some  man  in  your  neighborhood  who  has 
had  experience  in  using  a  cradle  and  can  tell  you  about  it. 


^'4^"^ 


Fig.  53.     riusf  tlirtf  machines  are  used  in  making  hay.    First  the  grass  is  cut 

by  the  mowing  machine  shown  at  the  right.    Next  it  is  raked  into  windrows  by 

the  rake  and  then  the  hay  is  put  on  the  wagons  by  the  self-loader.    (Courtesy 

of  International  Harvester  Company) 


The  threshing  methods  of  those  days  were  slow.  After  the 
bundles  of  grain  were  quite  dry  they  were  drawn  to  a  piece 
of  hard,  smooth  ground  and  spread  out  upon  it.  The  grain  was 
then  trodden  out  by  driving  oxen  round  and  round  upon  it. 
You  can  understand  that  there  was  plenty  of  dirt  and  chaff 
mixed  in  with  the  grain.  This  was  taken  out  by  throwing  the 
grain  up  in  the  air  on  a  windy  day.  Later,  the  fanning  mill 
was  used  for  cleaning  the  grain. 

The  hay  for  horses  and  cattle,  their  chief  food  through 
the  winter  months,  was  also  cut  with  scythes  and  raked  up  with 


THE  NEW  FARMER 


83 


wooden  rakes.    Each  neighborhood  in  those  olden  days  used 
to  make  great  boast  of  some  champion  with  the  scythe. 

We  have  studied  the  farmer  of  the  early  days  and  have 
learned  what  primitive  tools  and  machinery  he  had  and  how 
much  he  himself  had  to  do.  Now  we  are  ready  to  study  the 
farmer   of    today    and    learn    about   his    many    labor-saving 


Fig.  54.    The  tractor  takes  the  place  of  horses  in  much  of  the  work  on  Iowa 
farms.    In  this  photograph  you  see  a  tractor  drawing  three  plows.    The  arm  at 
the  right  follows  the  furrow  and  thus  steers  the  tractor.    (Courtesy  of  Interna- 
tional Harvester  Company) 


machines.  Before  you  read  any  further  or  look  at  the  pictures 
make  a  list  of  all  the  up-to-date  farm  machinery  you  have  seen 
and  tell  for  what  each  machine  is  used.  Then  as  you  study 
the  next  few  pages  see  if  the  book  mentions  everything  which 
is  on  your  list. 

We  have  spoken  of  the  primitive  way  in  which  the  first 
farmers  of  the  state  had  to  cut  their  hay.  "I  can  remember 
when  the  first  mowing-machine  was  used  in  our  county,"  said 


84 


IOWA  STATK  GEOGRAPHY 


HoiKirahle  A.  B.  Cummins  a  few  years  ago.  (Who  is  Mr. 
C\immins?)  That  first  mower  was  rather  a  rough  piece  of 
machinery  compared  with  the  one  you  see  in  Fig,  53.  Notice 
the  width  of  the  swath  it  cuts.  In  the  center  of  the  picture 
you  see  what  is  known  as  a  side-deHvery  rake.    In  another 


Fig.  55.    Here  is  a  tractor  operatinfi;  a  disk  harrow.    This  machine  smooths  the 
ground  and  matces  it  ready  for  planting.    Notice  the  large  barn  and  silo  in  the 
background.    Iowa  is  noted  for  its  good  farm  buildings.    (Courtesy  of  Inter- 
national Harvester  Company) 


type  of  rake  the  part  which  gathers  up  the  hay  is  Hfted  and 
dumped  every  few  feet,  leaving  the  hay  in  windrows  across  the 
field.  How  many  of  you  have  seen  hay  loaded  by  hand?  At 
the  left  of  the  picture  is  a  hay  loader.  In  what  ways  is  a 
machine  of  this  kind  a  great  saving  to  the  farmer? 

A  man  no  longer  uses  an  ox  team  when  he  plows  his  fields. 
If  he  does  not  use  a  team  of  heavy  work  horses  he  uses  a 
tractor  (Fig.  54).  It  is  said  that  the  number  of  tractors  used 
in  Iowa  was  doubled  in  1920.    Can  you  find  out  how  much 


NEB  R.    / 


RELIEF  MAP  OF 
IOWA 

SHOWING  AREAS  OF  THE 

FOUR  LARGEST  CITIES 


W    I    s. 


M   O. 


Scale  of  miles 
0    5  10      20      30      40      50 


Y/.T.OIi^tt 


©  CJiiin  ami  Company 


THE  NEW  FARMER 


85 


ground  could  be  plowed  in  a  day  by  one  man  if  he  used  a  trac- 
tor and  a  three-bottom  plow?  You  have  heard  that  fewer  of 
Iowa's  inhabitants  live  on  farms  now  and  that  more  have 
moved  into  towns.  Although  there  are  fewer  people  than 
formerly  on  farms  larger  crops  are  raised.    Do  you  see  how 


Fig.  56.    This  manure  spreader  was  made  in  Waterloo  and  is  now  being  used  on 
an  Iowa  farm.    Before  spreaders  were  invented  how  did  farmers  spread  manure 

on  their  fields  ? 


this  can  be  true?    This  means  that  more  grain  is  raised  with 
fewer  men  working  in  the  fields.    Why  is  this  desirable  ? 

After  the  field  is  plowed  the  farmer  must  break  up  all  the 
clods  and  have  the  surface  fine  and  even.  This  enables  the 
fine  tendrils  of  the  roots  to  get  their  food  more  readily,  and 
it  also  prevents  the  moisture  in  the  soil  from  escaping.  To  put 
the  soil  in  this  condition  a  disk  drawn  by  a  tractor  or  horses 
may  be  used  (notice  Fig.  55).  How  many  horses  are  com- 
monly used  for  this?  In  what  month  of  the  year  might  this 
picture  have  been  taken?  What  evidence  do  you  find  in  the 
picture  that  this  farmer  raises  cattle  as  well  as  grain  ?  Why  is 
this  advantageous? 


86 


IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 


When  the  time  comes  to  sow  the  grain,  a  seeder — a  long  box 
on  wheels — is  commonly  used.  The  disk  and  the  harrow  are 
then  used  to  cover  the  seed  and  smooth  the  surface  of  the 
ground.  Some  farmers  use  a  press  drill  in  planting  seed.  This 
drill  plants  the  seed  in  rows  and  covers  it  as  it  is  sown.    A 


Fig.  57.    With  the  aid  of  this  machine,  which  cuts,  binds,  and  shocks  the  grain, 

one  man  with  a  team  does  the  work  that  formerly  required  several  men  and 

teams.    Tractors  are  often  used  instead  of  horses  in  operating  these  machines 

(see  Fig.  58).    (Courtesy  of  International  Harvester  Company) 


combined  seeder  and  disk  sows  the  seed,  covers  it^  and  pulver- 
izes the  surface  in  one  operation.  Have  you  seen  one  of  these  ? 
i\Iany  improvements  have  been  made  in  machinery  for  har- 
vesting small  grains.  Fig.  57  shows  a  McCormick  binder  and 
shocker.  How  wide  a  swath  does  it  cut?  Think  of  the  old 
cradle  and  the  men  binding  by  hand.  Study  this  picture  care- 
fully until  you  see  all  the  things  which  the  machine  does  and 
then  read  the  description  on  the  following  page  of  the  first 
IMcCormick  binder.  Cyrus  Hall  McCormick,  who  lived  in  Vir- 
ginia, invented  a  practical  reaper  in  1831.  You  will  remember 
that  this  was  two  years  before  settlers  commenced  to  come 
into  Iowa. 


THE  NEW  FARMER 


87 


It  was  in  the  fall  of  1S31  that  Cyrus  McCormick.  hitched  four 
horses  to  his  unwieldy  machine  and  clattered  out  of  the  barnyard 
into  a  field  of  wheat  near  by.  Horses  shied  and  pranced  at  the  absurd 
object,  which  was  unlike  anything  else  on  the  earth.  Dogs  barked. 
Small  bovs  veiled.    Farmers  whose  backs  were  bent  from  the  harvest 


Fig.  58.    Here  ym   ~cf   a  traLtur  clrawm.u'   two  ui    ilir-r   u-riul   cuitmu'.   l)in(liiiii, 

and  shocking  machines.    Why  is  time  such  an  impoiLant  factor  in  harvesting? 

Have  you  ever  seen  graintields  as  large  as  these  ?    (Courtesy  of  International 

Harvester  Company) 


labor  gazed  with  contemptuous  curiosity  at  the  queer  contraption 
which  was  expected  to  cut  grain  without  hands.  The  field  was  hilly 
and  the  reaper  worked  badly.  It  slewed  and  jolted  along,  cutting 
the  grain  very  irregularly.  The  owner  of  the  field  rushed  up  to 
McCormick  and  shouted  :  "Here !  This  won't  do.  Stop  your  horses ! 
Your  machine  is  rattling  the  heads  off  my  wheat."  "It's  a  hum- 
bug," bawled  one  of  the  laborers.  "Give  me  an  old  cradle  yet, 
boys  !  "  e.xxlaimed  a  round-shouldered  farmer.  The  owner  of  another 
wheatfield  invited  jNIcCormick  to  come  into  it.  The  ground  here 
was  less  hilly,  and  the  machine  worked  better  there. 

When  he  arrived  home  that  evening  Cyrus  thought  his  troubles 
were  over.    He  had  reaped  six.  acres  of  wheat  in  less  than  half  a  day, 


SS  IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 

as  much  as  six  nicii  would  lia\o  done  by  the  old-fashioned  method. 
Although  the  United  Stales  had  been  established  more  than  fifty 
years,  this  was  the  first  grain  that  had  ever  been  cut  by  machinery.' 

It  took  ten  long  years  of  labor  before  McCormick  was  able 
to  convince  others  that  it  was  profitable  to  buy  his  reaper. 
Einally  he  sold  two  at  Sioo  apiece.  The  reaper  might  never 
have  been  jierfccted  if  INIcCormick  had  always  stayed  in  Vir- 
ginia. When  he  came  out  to  the  prairies  of  Illinois,  with  their 
level  surfaces  and  large  lields,  and  saw  acres  of  wheat  rotting 
because  the  hand  labor  could  not  harvest  quickly  enough,  he 
redoubled  his  efforts  to  make  his  reaper  a  success.  This  ma- 
chine did  not  bind  the  grain,  but  simply  cut  it,  after  which  it 
had  to  be  gathered  into  bundles  by  hand.  A  little  later, 
machines  were  invented  which  both  cut  the  grain  and  gathered 
it  into  bundles,  which  were  tied  by  hand. 

The  first  self-binders  tied  the  bundles  with  wire.  The 
farmers  did  not  like  this.  Can  you  think  why  they  might 
not?  You  should  be  able  to  think  of  a  number  of  reasons. 
What  is  straw  used  for  ?  It  is  only  about  forty  years  since  the 
first  binder  which  tied  the  bundles  with  twine  was  used.  You 
should  be  able  to  find  men  who  have  used  these  older  machines. 
A  number  of  improvements  have  been  made  in  them  since  self- 
binders  first  came  into  use.  Fig.  58  shows  a  tractor  pulling  two 
self-binders  and  shockers.  This  saves  the  work  of  how  many 
men?  Why  is  grain  shocked?  How  long  does  grain  stand  in 
the  shock  ?  This  book  has  told  you  how  the  pioneers  threshed 
their  grain.  Look  at  the  picture  of  the  thresher  run  by  a 
tractor  (Fig.  59).  What  becomes  of  the  dust  and  chaff?  In 
some  parts  of  the  country  combined  headers  and  threshers 
are  used.  Iowa  grainfields,  however,  are  seldom  large  enough 
to  make  the  use  of  this  machine  profitable. 

The  labor-saving  machinery  employed  in  corn  production  is 
just  as  interesting  as  that  which  we  have  just  studied.  Have 
you  ever  seen  a  corn  planter  with  a  check-rower  ?    How  are  the 

>  If  you  want  to  learn  more  of  this  story,  you  will  find  it  in  "The  Romance 
of  the  Reaper,"  by  Herbert  Casson. 


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kernels  made  to  drop  at  even  intervals?  Formerly,  when  corn 
was  ripe  the  farmer  husked  the  ears  by  hand  antl  stored  them  in 
the  eorncrib.  Now  much  of  his  corn  may  be  harvested  long 
before  the  corn  is  ripe.  The  silos  which  we  see  on  most  good 
farms  are  often  hi  led  with  green  corn.  Either  green  or  ripe 
corn  may  be  used  for  silage.    In  Fig.  60  you  see  a  husker  and 


Fig.  60.     A  combined  husker  and  shredder.    Is  this  corn  ripe  or  green  ?     Give 
two  proofs  for  your  answer.    (Courtesy  of  Iowa  State  Agricultural  College) 

shredder  at  work.  Notice  that  the  dry  shredded  stocks  are  be- 
ing put  into  the  feed  barn.  The  ears  are  taken  to  the  crib.  In 
Fig,  36  a  cement  silo  is  being  filled.  How  is  the  shredded  corn 
carried  to  the  top  of  the  high  silo  ?  If  green  corn  is  to  be  used, 
the  stalks  are  usually  cut  with  a  corn  binder,  loaded  by  hand 
on  a  wagon,  and  hauled  to  the  silo  to  be  shredded.  There  is 
also  a  new  machine  which  shreds  the  corn  in  the  field  and  loads 
the  shredded  stalks  into  a  wagon  box.  This  saves  the  farmer 
hard  work  in  loading  and  unloading  the  heavy  green  stalks  by 
hand.  Corn  is  usually  planted  in  hills.  How  is  it  sometimes 
planted  when  it  is  intended  for  silo  use  only? 


Fig.  di.    This  farm  has  building;  whicli  any  farmer  might  be  proud  of.    Select 
the  barn,  hog  house,  crib,  and  chicken  house.    (Photograph  by  Charles  Brocke) 


Fig.  02.    What  do  you  consider  Ihc  good  fealurcb  ol  Uns  luuiicin  ho'A  1iuu.-.l-  r* 


Q2 


IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 


You  may  have  seen  corn  cr^ps  harvested  in  still  other  ways. 
In  some  places  husking  machines  are  being  used.  They  are 
not  always  satisfactory.    Find  out  why. 

Not  all  the  machinery  is  for  outdoor  use.  There  are  many 
labor-saving  machines  for  the  farmhouse  as  well.  Make  a  list 
of  the  different  kinds  of  household  machinery  that  you  have 


Fig.  63.  Can  you  see  the  elevator  which  is  carrying  the  material  from  the  wagon 

up  into  the  barn?     You  will  find  much  labor-saving  machinery  on  Iowa  farms. 

This  enables  the  farmer  not  only  to  do  his  work  without  so  much  hired  labor  but 

to  live  more  comfortably.    (Courtesy  of  International  Harvester  Company) 


ever  seen.  You  can  find  near  the  close  of  the  book  the  names 
of  some  towns  where  many  washing  machines  are  made. 

Modern  farm  buildings  and  fine  farmhouses  abound  in  Iowa. 
Are  there  many  in  your  locality  as  comfortable  and  beautiful 
as  those  pictured  in  this  book?    (See  Figs.  61  and  62.) 

The  '^new  farmer"  tries  constantly  to  improve  his  farm. 
He  attends  county  and  state  fairs  to  see  displays  of  the  newest 
machinery  and  the  finest  stock  and  the  finest  farm  products 
(Figs.  64,  65).  From  the  State  Agricultural  College  he  gets 
bulletins  telling  him  what  fertilizers  to  use  and  how  to  rotate 


i 


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>,.*.  s. 


Fig.  64.    Thi5  is  a  scene  at  llie  Clay  County  Fair.    County  fairs  exhiljit  the  best 
produce  and  stock  of  the  county.    (Photograph  by  Frank  W.  Medlar) 


IN-  n*-  .^i*^    ^     *^ 


Fig    6S.    This  is  a  Stock-jud-in-  ^ecnc  at  tlic  State  1-air.    l-armrr=  <i)i-ii(i  a  ;^reat 

deal  of  money  in  brin-ing  their  cattle  to  these  fairs.    What  special  attention  have 

these  cattle  probably  had  before  they  were  exhibited  ? 


94  IOWA  STATE  GP:OGRAPHY 

his  crops  to  the  best  advantage.  He  reads  farm  papers  that 
ho  may  know  what  the  most  progressive  farmers  are  doing. 
Some  of  the  best-known  and  most  widely  circulated  farm  papers 
are  published  in  Iowa.  Do  you  know  the  names  of  any  of 
these?  Who  was ''Tama  Jim"  Wilson?  What  did  he  do  for 
Iowa?  Do  you  know  where  you  can  learn  about  the  duties 
of  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture? 

Iowa  farm  land  is  very  valuable.  How  much  is  it  worth  per 
acre  in  your  neighborhood  ?  Iowa  farms  are  large.  They  av- 
erage one  hundred  and  fifty-eight  acres  each.  This  means  that 
thousands  of  dollars  are  invested  in  a  single  farm.  It  means 
also  that  the  farmer  today  must  be  a  careful  business  man  and 
a  good  judge  of  stock  and  grain  if  he  is  to  make  his  business 
pay.  This  is  one  reason  why  most  Iowa  farmers  are  anxious 
to  have  their  sons  and  daughters  well  educated.  Good  farmers 
know  that  only  well-trained  men  and  women  can  make  farming 
a  success. 

Write  a  short  essay  on  "Why  I  should  like  to  own  an  Iowa 
farm." 


CHAPTER  VIII 
IOWA  MANUFACTURES 

A  state  as  large  and  prosperous  as  Iowa  must  have  many 
other  occupations  besides  farming.  As  we  studied  the  various 
farm  crops  and  the  different  minerals  we  found  that  many  of 
them  were  used  in  the  making  of  manufactured  products.  In 
some  states  the  factories  are  located  chiefly  in  one  part  of  the 
state,  near  coal  fields  or  water-power,  or  where  some  particular 
raw  product  abounds.  The  factories  of  Iowa  are  scattered 
throughout  the  state.  More  are  to  be  found  in  the  larger  cities, 
yet  nearly  all  towns  carry  on  some  kinds  of  manufacturing. 
There  are  a  number  of  reasons  why  the  factories  are  scattered. 
These  reasons  we  shall  find  as  we  study  further. 

If  we  should  arrange  Iowa  manufactures  in  the  order  of 
their  importance,  the  meat-packing  industry  would  head  the 
list.  Point  out  a  number  of  cities  in  which  we  have  found 
this  industry  carried  on.  Why  is  meat  packed  in  so  many 
different  places  and  not  all  in  one  big  center  ? 

The  industry  of  second  importance  is  the  making  of  food 
products.  This  includes  the  preparing  and  packing  of  the 
cereals  which  are  used  for  breakfast  foods  and  similar  products. 
What  does  the  word  cereal  mean  ?  Look  this  up  in  the  diction- 
ary. How  many  different  cereals  can  you  name?  Which  of 
these  cereals  are  used  in  making  breakfast  foods? 

We  have  spoken  of  the  great  oatmeal  mills  in  Cedar  Rapids 
(Fig.  39).  These  mills  also  make  puffed  wheat,  puffed  corn, 
and  puffed  rice  by  shooting  grains  out  of  a  cannon,  exactly  as 
stated  in  the  advertisements.  There  are  a  number  of  factories 
in  the  state  engaged  in  the  making  of  food  products.  Can  you 
think  of  several  reasons  for  this? 

The  third  large  manufacturing  industry  in  Iowa  is  the  mak- 
ing of  butter,  cheese,  and  condensed  milk.    When  one  special 

95 


96 


IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 


kind  of  manufacturing  becomes  general  throughout  a  state, 
it  is  because  that  region  has  important  advantages  for  the  mak- 
ing of  that  particular  thing.  A  place  may  have  plenty  of  raw 
material,  or  a  good  market,  or  plenty  of  water-power  or  coal. 
Give  as  many  reasons  as  you  can  why  Iowa  can  profitably 
engage  in  the  three  kinds  of  industries  spoken  of  above. 


Fig.  66.    Are  these  dairy  or  beef  cattle  ?    Is  it  a  good  thing  to  have  some  trees 
in  the  pasture  ?    (Courtesy  of  A.  O.  Harpel) 


Why  do  dairy  farmers  take  such  good  care  of  their  cows 
(Fig.  66)?  Look  at  the  pictures  of  a  dairy  barn  (Figs.  67,  68). 
What  do  you  especially  like  about  them  ?  Notice  the  large  silos 
(Fig.  68).  What  are  dairy  cows  fed?  Why  is  not  so  much 
corn  fed  to  them  as  to  beef  cattle  ?  How  is  your  town  supplied 
with  milk  ?  Large  cities  such  as  New  York  and  Chicago  require 
so  much  fresh  milk  each  day  that  some  of  it  must  be  brought 
from  a  distance  of  two  hundred  or  more  miles  in  milk  trains 
each  morning.  Iowa  cities  are  not  so  large  that  a  sufficient 
supply  may  not  be  obtained  close  by. 


IOWA  MANUFACTURES 


97 


In  Iowa  much  milk  is  used  for  the  making  of  butter  in 
creameries.  In  the  year  ending  July  i,  1920,  Iowa  cows  pro- 
duced eighty-six  million  pounds  of  creamery  butter.  This  was 
worth  about  $48,000,000.  Compare  this  with  the  value  of  our 
coal  output  in  a  recent  year  (p.  10).  In  1919  the  value  of 
the  California  orange  crop  was  only  $48,200,000.    Add  to  the 


Fig.  67.  The  view  shows  one  end  of  the  interior  of  a  modern  dairy  barn  on  the 
Dale  Meek  Dairy  Farm  in  Dallas  County.  Explain  the  use  of  the  stanchions. 
How  is  the  barn  lighted  ?  Notice  the  use  of  concrete.  These  fine  and  sanitary 
quarters  built  for  valuable  dairy  cattle  show  the  importance  of  this  industry. 
(Photograph  by  Hostetler) 


value  of  the  butter  that  of  all  the  cheese,  the  cottage  cheese, 
and  the  milk  that  are  sold,  and  then  answer  this  question : 
Do  you  think  that  Iowa's  cows  are  very  valuable  ?  The  state 
Dairy  and  Food  Commissioner's  figures  show  that  in  1920  the 
value  of  the  dairy  products  was  $150,000,000.  You  will  find 
it  very  interesting  to  compare  this  value  with  the  value  of  some 
leading  product  in  other  states. 

Not  many  years  ago  most  of  the  butter  made  in  Iowa  was 
churned  in  barrel  or  dasher  churns  by  the  farmers'  wives.  They 
set  the  milk  in  pans  or  tall  cans,  skimmed  off  the  cream  when 
it  had  risen,  and  churned  it.    The  butter  which  was  not  needed 


98 


IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 


for  the  home  was  sold  at  the  nearest  town.  Later,  men  went 
from  farm  to  farm  and  collected  the  cream,  which  they  took  to 
a  creamery  to  be  churned.  This  saved  a  great  deal  of  work  on 
the  farms  and  the  butter  was  much  more  uniform,  but  it  still 
took  much  time  to  set  the  milk,  skim  it,  and  care  for  the  milk 
utensils.    Besides,  the  milk  was  often  sour  bv  the  time  the 


Fig.  68.    This  is  the  exterior  of  the  dairy  barn  shown  in  Fig.  67.    What  breed  of 
cattle  does  the  owner  keep  ?    Why  does  he  need  these  enormous  silos  ?    (Photo- 
graph by  Hostetler) 


cream  was  well  risen,  and  the  skim  milk  lost  much  of  its  value 
.  for  feeding  to  calves  or  pigs.  Are  there  any  uses  for  sour  milk  ? 
Soon  another  improvement  was  made.  All  over  the  state 
creameries  put  in  great  centrifugal  separators,  and  the  farmers 
took  the  whole  milk  to  the  creamery  (Fig.  69).  The  separator 
revolved  at  a  high  rate  of  speed,  and  the  cream,  which  is  lighter 
than  the  milk,  came  to  the  top  and  was  thrown  out  through  a 
small  tube.  The  farmer  then  could  take  the  milk  back  and  feed 
it  to  his  calves  and  pigs.  This  method  is  still  used  in  many 
parts  of  the  state.  In  other  places  the  farmer  who  owns  a  num- 
ber of  dairy  cows  has  a  small  separator  and  does  this  work  at 
home.  This  saves  carrying  a  great  bulk  of  milk  back  and  forth 
each  day  and  makes  it  possible  for  the  farmer  to  feed  the  skim 
milk  while  it  is  still  fresh. 


IOWA  MANUFACTURES 


99 


This  is  only  the  first  step  in  butter-making.  The  cream  is 
next  put  into  a  great  churn,  which  is  turned  by  machinery  until 
the  globules  of  fat  separate  from  the  buttermilk.  The  butter  is 
then  worked  by  a  machine  to  get  rid  of  the  buttermilk,  washed, 
salted,  and  worked  again.  It  may  then  be  made  into  the  pound 
packages  with  which  you  are  all  familiar  or  put  up  in  tubs 


Fig.  69.    This  is  one  of  the  large  creameries  of  the  state.    Explain  how  cream  is 
brought  to  a  creamery.    Do  creameries  buy  only  cream  ? 


to  send  to  some  distant  market.  Iowa  sells  a  great  deal  of  but- 
ter outside  the  state.  Strawberry  Point  has  one  of  the  largest 
whole-milk  creameries  known.  (In  a  whole-milk  creamery  the 
milk  is  separated  at  the  creamery.)  In  one  year  470,000 
pounds  of  butter  were  made  at  this  creamery.  Of  this,  416,000 
pounds  were  shipped  to  New  York.  Iowa  has  a  state  brand 
which  may  be  used  when  the  butter  comes  up  to  a  certain 
standard,  but  only  a  few  creameries  have  earned  the  right  to 
use  it.  Watch  for  this  brand.  Do  you  know  of  any  creameries 
that  have  earned  this  right? 


100 


IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 


A  few  years  ago  a  well-known  Des  Moines  man  said,  "I  can 
remember  the  time  when  1  walked  eight  miles  through  the 
forest  and  sold  eggs  for  three  cents  a  dozen  and  butter  for  four 
cents  a  pound."    How  much  are  they  worth  today? 

As  our  cities  grow  larger  they  will  need  more  and  more  milk 
to  keep  them  supplied.  Does  this  mean  that  there  will  then 
be  less  butter  made  in  Iowa?    Give  reasons  for  your  answer. 


Fig.  70.   This  is  an  interior  view  of  the  iron  works  at  Burlington,  where  many 
boilers,  tanks,  engines,  and  other  kinds  of  machinery  are  made 


A  fourth  manufacturing  industry  is  that  of  the  foundry 
and  machine  shops.  We  do  not  smelt  our  own  iron,  but  we 
use  so  much  in  the  making  of  farm  and  railroad  machinery 
that  it  pays  to  bring  in  the  pig  iron  from  Chicago  or  Pittsburgh 
or  other  places  where  it  is  made.  Have  you  ever  seen  men 
gathering  scrap  iron  to  sell  to  the  foundries?  This  is  com- 
mendable, as  it  conserves  the  iron  supply  and  is  a  source  of 
profit  to  the  one  who  has  been  careful  not  to  let  his  old  iron 
rust  away.  Iron  may  be  used  again  and  again.  What  work  is 
done  in  a  foundry  ?    What  are  castings  ?    Why  is  Iowa  an 


IOWA  MANUFACTURES 


lOI 


especially  good  state  in  which  to  manufacture  farm  machinery  ? 
Make  a  list  of  machinery  which  you  know  is  made  in  Iowa. 
This  will  be  a  long  list,  and  you  may  have  to  work  on  it  for 
several  days,  listing  the  different  machines  a^  you  recall  them. 
You  can  find  where  many  of  the  gasoline  engines,  dairy  sep- 
arators, tractors,  and  other  useful  machines  are  made  by 
referring  to  pages  14 7-1 51  in  the  last  chapter  in  this  book. 


Fig.  71.   This  is  a  view  inside  a  sweet-corn  canning  tuciory   in  Polk  County. 

Silking  is  one  of  the  first  steps  in  the  preparation  of  the  corn  and  is  done  by  the 

machines  you  see  in  this  picture.    What  is  the  first  step  ?    Is  it  done  by  hand 

or  by  machinery  ?    (Photograph  by  Hosteller) 


There,  too,  you  will  find  a  list  of  our  manufactures  in  the 
order  of  their  importance.  We  shall  not  discuss  them  all  here, 
but  there  are  a  few  in  which  you  will  be  especially  interested. 
Has  your  county  a  factory  which  does  canning  or  preserving  ? 
There  are  a  great  many  Iowa  towns  which  have  such  factories. 
Is  your  town  one  of  these  ?  Have  you  ever  visited  a  cannery  ? 
Name  the  chief  products  of  the  canneries.  Do  not  overlook 
pickles,  for  large  quantities  of  them  are  made  in  Iowa.    Benton 


I02 


IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 


and  Black  Hawk  counties  lead  in  the  canning  industry.    Locate 
these  counties  on  the  map  of  Iowa  (p.  52  ). 

One  of  the  most  interesting  places  to  visit  is  the  sweet-corn 
cannery.  When  do  the  sweet-corn  factories  run  ?  Just  when  is 
the  best  time  to  gather  sweet  corn?    Figs.  71,  72,  73  show 


Fig.  72.   The  man  at  the  farther  end  of  this  picture  is  soldering  on  the  hds  of  the 

cans,  which  are  then  packed  in  a  crate  to  be  placed  in  the  big  steam  cookers  shown 

in  Fig.  73.    (Photograph  by  Hostetler) 


certain  steps  in  canning  corn.  If  you  have  a  copy  of  the  Frye- 
Atwood  New  Geography,  Book  One,  see  pages  98  and  99 
and  you  will  find  pictures  showing  other  steps.  When  the  corn 
is  brought  to  the  cannery  it  is  husked  by  one  machine  and  the 
silk  is  taken  out  by  another  (  Fig.  71 ).  Still  another  machine 
with  sharp  knives  cuts  the  corn  from  the  cob,  and  a  sieve  sorts 
out  the  bits  of  cob  and  husk  which  have  worked  in.  The  corn  is 
heated  before  it  is  put  into  the  cans,  and  then  the  lids  are  put 
on.  Notice  the  way  in  which  the  cans  are  packed  into  great 
wire  baskets,  dozens  of  them  at  a  time  (Fig.  72 ).  The  baskets 
are  then  lowered  into  the  steam  cookers,  where  they  remain  for 


IOWA  MANUFACTURES 


103 


an  hour  at  a  temperature  of  250  degrees.  How  many  degrees 
is  this  above  the  boiUng  point?  After  the  cans  are  taken  out 
they  are  cooled  and  tested  to  see  that  each  can  is  perfectly 
sealed.  Then  they  are  labeled  and  are  ready  for  the  market. 
This  canned  corn  is  shipped  to  many   far-distant  places. 


Fig.  73.    These  are  steam-pressure  couker^  u^ed  in  canning  corn,     ihc  cans  of 

com  are  placed  in  these  and  the  corn  is  cooked  for  about  an  hour  at  a  high 

temperature.    Steam-pressure  cookers  are  coming  into  use  in  homes.    Have  you 

ever  seen  one  designed  for  such  use.    (Photograph  by  Hostetler) 


The  Cement  Mills 

Cement-making  is  listed  as  a  leading  industry.  It  is  a  very 
important  one.  Do  you  not  use  every  day  something  made  of 
cement  ?  This  has  been  called  the  age  of  cement.  You  will  find 
it  interesting  to  make  a  list  of  its  uses  and  will  be  surprised 
at  the  great  variety  of  these  uses.  What  is  the  difference  be- 
tween cement  and  concrete  ? 

There  are  two  good  reasons  for  making  much  Portland 
cement  here  in  Iowa.    It  is  made  from  a  mixture  of  limestone 


104  IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 

antl  either  clay  or  shale.  What  is  shale  ?  There  is  in  Iowa  an 
abuiulance  of  these  materials,  and  at  some  places,  such  as 
Mason  City,  they  are  found  close  together.  It  would  not  pay 
to  carry  such  cheap,  heavy  things  very  far  to  be  manufactured. 
The  second  reason  is  that  Iowa  offers  a  very  fine  market  for 
cement  products.  Much  drain  tile  is  needed.  This  may  be 
made  of  either  clay  or  cement.  In  what  parts  of  the  state 
should  you  expect  drain  tile  to  be  bought  in  largest  quantities? 
Cement  is  used  in  some  of  our  new,  hard-surfaced  roads.  What 
is  mixed  with  the  cement  used  for  making  sidewalks  ?  What  is 
used  in  building  foundations  for  houses  in  your  neighborhood  ? 
Des  Moines  has  one  large  cement  plant  and  Mason  City 
has  two.  At  the  latter  place  the  material  used  is  the  Lime 
Creek  shale  and  the  Cedar  Valley  limestone.  These  are  quar- 
ried, crushed,  and  dried.  They  are  then  mixed  in  right  pro- 
portions and  put  into  a  rotary  kiln.  This  kiln  is  one  of  the 
inventions  which  makes  cheap  cement  possible.  It  is  a  huge, 
heated  cylinder  over  fifty  feet  long  and  five  or  six  feet  in 
diameter,  set  up  in  a  slanting  position.  The  mixture  which  is 
to  make  the  cement  is  poured  in  at  the  top  and  slowly  slides 
toward  the  bottom,  drying  as  it  moves  through  the  slowly  turn- 
ing cylinder.  The  mass  of  hard,  dry  material  which  comes  out 
of  the  kiln  is  called  clinker  and  is  ground  to  the  fine  powder 
which  we  call  Portland  cement.  The  next  time  you  see  it  being 
used,  notice  how  fine  it  is. 

Brick  and  Tile 

Give  two  reasons  why  brick  is  a  better  material  for  house- 
building than  wood.  Why  are  not  more  Iowa  houses  built  of 
brick  ?  In  some  parts  of  the  United  States  nearly  every  house 
is  built  of  brick  or  concrete.  Clay  or  shale  for  brick-making 
is  to  be  found  in  all  parts  of  Iowa.  Nearly  every  county  has 
one  or  more  brick  yards.  How  many  has  yours?  We  do  not 
need  to  discuss  this  industry  very  fully,  since  probably  you  can 
find  out  for  yourself  at  first  hand  how  bricks  and  clay  tiles  are 
made. 


IOWA  MANUFACTURES 


105 


In  the  picture  shown  of  the  brick  and  tile  plant  at  Mason 
City  (Fig.  74)  you  can  see  the  steam  shovel  loading  the 
clay  into  the  cars.  These  cars  are  drawn  by  horses  or  mules 
to  the  slope  at  the  edge  of  the  pit  and  then  pulled  up  by  cable. 
Their  contents  are  then  dumped  into  a  machine  for  grind- 
ing and  pulverizing  the  clay.    The  clay  is  then  ready  for  use. 


Fig, 


74.    Clay  is  dug  from  this  pit  for  a  large  brick  and  tile  company  at  Mason 
City.    Can  you  explain  how  the  steam  shovel  works  ? 


Twenty  thousand  carloads  of  clay  products  are  shipped  from 
Mason  City  each  year.  These  include  bricks  for  building, 
tiles,  and  silo  tiles.  Some  farmers  prefer  tiles  made  from  clay, 
while  others  prefer  those  made  from  cement.  Is  Mason  City 
well  supplied  with  railroads  to  ship  out  its  manufactures  ? 


Sugar 

America's  sugar  bill  is  a  large  one.  On  the  average  each 
person  uses  about  eighty-five  pounds  a  year.  Do  you  think  that 
you  use  that  much  ?  You  must  include  the  sugar  in  candies  and 
ice-creams,  jellies  and  cakes.    If  each  lowan  used  the  amount 


io6  IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 

mentioned,  how  much  wouki  it  take  to  supply  all  the  people  of 
the  state?    (Find  the  population  of  Iowa  on  page  157.) 

Sugar  is  made  from  sugar  cane  or  sugar  beets.  We  are  too 
far  north  to  raise  sugar  cane,  as  it  requires  many  months 
free  from  frost.  How  many  frost-free  months  do  we  have? 
We  do  raise  sorghum,  which  is  closely  related  to  sugar  cane,  but 
it  is  only  used  in  the  making  of  molasses.  Sugar  beets  make 
a  sugar  which,  if  properly  refined,  is  just  as  good  for  most 
purposes  as  that  made  from  sugar  cane. 

The  farmers  of  Iowa  are  growing  sugar  beets  and  finding 
it  profitable.  In  1920  there  were  three  beet-sugar  factories  in 
operation.  You  have  probably  used  some  of  this  beet  sugar  in 
your  homes  and  you  may  have  seen  some  of  the  beet  fields. 
How  does  the  sugar  beet  differ  from  the  table  beet? 

Sugar-beet  seeds  are  planted  during  the  month  of  May  in 
ground  which  has  been  prepared  with  very  great  care.  The 
rows  of  beets  are  about  two  and  a  half  or  three  feet  apart.  A 
great  deal  of  hand  labor  is  needed  in  taking  care  of  the  crop. 
The  plants  are  so  tiny  at  first  that  they  have  to  be  weeded  and ' 
thinned  by  hand.  Later  they  require  hoeing.  In  some  places 
Russian  immigrants  have  been  brought  to  Iowa  farms  to  do  this 
work.  They  have  been  accustomed  to  the  beet  fields  at  home 
and  are  glad  to  fi.nd  the  same  work  in  this  country  at  so  much 
better  wages.  The  whole  family  works  in  the  field — men, 
w^omen,  and  children. 

After  the  beets  are  ripe  they  are  harvested,  late  in  October 
or  early  in  November.  A  plow  is  run  along  beside  the  rows 
to  loosen  the  beets,  and  they  are  then  pulled  out.  The  leaves 
are  cut  off  and  left  in  the  fields  or  fed  to  cattle.  What  purpose 
will  these  leaves  serve  in  the  fields  ?  The  farmer  hauls  the  roots 
to  the  factory,  if  he  is  near  one,  but  more  often  to  the  railroad, 
where  they  are  loaded  on  open  cars  and  shipped  to  a  factory. 
Notice  the  device  for  unloading  the  wagonloads  of  beet  roots 

(Fig.  75)- 

At  the  factories  they  are  stored  in  sheds  until  they  can 
be  used.  You  may  judge  that  much  storage  space  is  needed, 
for  the  smallest  of  these  factories  handled  about  thirty-five 


IOWA  MANUFACTURES 


107 


thousand  tons  of  beets  in  1920,  and  the  largest  nearly  three 
times  that  many.  Fig.  76  shows  one  of  these  big  factories. 
Beets  yield  about  ten  tons  per  acre.  When  they  are  worth 
ten  dollars  per  ton  what  would  be  the  value  of  an  acre  of 
beets  ?    How  does  the  price  of  sugar  affect  the  price  of  beets  ? 


Fig.  75.    This  load  of  sugar  beets  is  being  dumped  by  machinery.    How  is  the 
wagon  tipped  ?    The  beets  will  go  from  the  chute  into  a  bin 


W^en  the  beets  are  taken  from  the  storage  shed  to  the 
factory  they  are  thoroughly  washed  in  a  big  machine  with 
wooden  arms  which  shakes  and  knocks  them  about  in  a  large 
quantity  of  warm  water.  They  are  then  cut  in  small  strips  and 
put  into  a  set  of  pans  known  as  a  diffusion  battery.  These  pans 
are  filled  with  hot  water  and  the  sugar  is  soaked  out  of  the 
beets.  This  juice  is  treated  with  lime  and  then  with  carbonic 
acid  gas,  which  settles  the  lime  and  leaves  a  clear  liquid.  This 
liquid  is  put  through  filters,  boiled  down  a  little,  and  filtered 
again  to  get  rid  of  the  mineral  salts  which  give  it  a  peculiar 


io8 


IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 


taste.  After  all  this  has  been  done  it  is  boiled  until  the  sugar 
crystals  form,  just  as  you  sometimes  see  them  form  in  the  candy 
you  are  making  when  you  let  it  boil  a  little  too  much.  When  it 
has  boiled  until  the  sirup  is  full  of  crystals,  the  liquid  is  put  into 
a  centrifugal  machine  which  is  much  like  a  cream  separator. 


Fig.  76.    The  large  beet-sugar  factory  shown  in  this  picture  is  located  at  Mason 

City.    Farmers  living  many  miles  away  ship  beets  here  by  rail.    Have  you  any 

beet  fields  in  your  neighborhood  ? 


When  this  is  revolved  very  rapidly  the  sirup  is  thrown  off 
through  a  sort  of  screen  in  the  sides  and  the  sugar  stays  in 
the  centrifugal  machine.  The  sugar  now  goes  through  a  drier 
and  slides  down  a  spout  to  the  bags  or  barrels  in  which  it  is  to 
be  packed  for  the  market. 

The  sirup  is  reboiled  to  remove  any  sugar  which  may  be  left 
in  it  and  is  then  used  in  the  making  of  stock  food.  The  dried 
beet  pulp  is  also  used  for  stock  food.  The  lime  cake  which 
is  used  in  clarifying  the  juice  is  used  on  fields  as  a  fertilizer. 

A  beet-sugar  factory  is  a  very  interesting  place.  Be  sure  to 
visit  one  if  y®u  have  an  opportunity. 


IOWA  MANUFACTURES  109 

In  1920  one  factory  produced  about  6,500,000  pounds  of 
sugar,  another  about  12,000,000  pounds,  and  the  third  about 
18,000,000  pounds.  Allowing  85  pounds  annually  per  person, 
what  part  of  the  total  population  of  Iowa  would  the  product 
of  these  three  factories  feed?  How  many  factories  like  the 
third  one  would  be  needed  to  supply  all  the  people  of  Iowa 
with  sugar  for  one  year  ?  That  plant,  in  making  the  18,000,000 
pounds  of  sugar,  employed  350  persons  and  ran  for  one  hundred 
days,  day  and  night.  In  November,  1920,  the  first  plant  pro- 
duced 100,000  pounds  per  day.  At  that  rate  how  long  would 
it  have  to  run  in  order  to  furnish  each  person  in  Iowa  with 
his  average  of  85  pounds  for  the  year? 

Button  Factories 

Have  you  ever  rowed  on  the  Iowa,  Cedar,  or  Mississippi 
rivers  in  the  summer  months  and  watched  the  clumsy  boats  of 
the  clam-diggers  with  their  rows  of  dragging-hooks  ?  Perhaps 
you  wondered  how  the  diggers  could  make  a  living  in  that  way. 
It  does  seem  rather  a  lazy  occupation,  but  those  who  work  at 
it  make  a  good  living.  In  1920  the  finest  of  the  clam  shells 
sold  for  $90  a  ton. 

We  said  at  the  beginning  of  the  discussion  on  manufactures 
that  every  business  in  Iowa  had  some  reason  for  existing. 
It  is  easy  to  see  that  the  pearl-button  business  is  here  because 
the  clams  are  here,  but  why  are  the  clam  shells  in  our  rivers 
suitable  for  making  buttons?  Not  many  states  have  this  in- 
dustry. The  clam  shells  that  are  fit  for  button-making  are 
found  only  in  rivers  whose  waters  come  from  limestone  regions. 
What  have  we  already  learned  about  the  rocks  underlying 
Iowa?  In  building  their  shells  the  clams  use  the  lime  which 
the  river  water  contains. 

There  is  a  very  great  difference  in  the  shells  of  the  different 
species.  From  the  thick-pearled  shells  which  the  clammers  call 
niggerheads  are  made  the  prettiest  and  most  iridescent  buttons. 
These  bring  the  highest  prices.  There  is  another  kind,  called 
the  sand  shell,  which  is  the  shell  used  in  making  pearl-handled 


no  10\\A  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 

knives.  The  factories  of  Iowa  use  the  commoner  shells ;  both 
kinds  are  sent  to  Europe  to  be  manufactured. 

There  is  one  exciting  thing  about  clam  fishing — one  never 
knows  when  he  may  find  a  valuable  pearl.  When  the  clam- 
digger  unloads  his  clams  he  builds  a  fire  and  heats  the  mass 
of  them  in  a  great  boiler.  This  makes  the  shells  easy  to 
open.  The  flesh  is  taken  out  and  examined  to  see  that  it  con- 
tains no  pearl,  and  is  then  thrown  away.  The  shells  are  piled  in 
great  heaps  to  be  sold.  A  few  very  valuable  pearls  and  many 
pretty  slugs  have  been  found  in  the  fresh-water  clams.  From 
where  do  the  real  pearls  come  ? 

The  first  pearl-button  factory  at  Muscatine  was  opened  in 
1 89 1.  There  are  only  about  two  hundred  such  factories  in  the 
country,  forty-five  of  which  are  in  Iowa.  These  Iowa  factories 
are  nearly  all  in  the  Mississippi  River  towns.  Most  factories 
simply  punch  the  blanks  or  rounds  out  of  the  shells  and  send 
them  to  the  finishing  factory.  Some  blanks  are  sent  East  to  be 
finished.  In  order  that  the  supply  of  shells  in  the  Iowa  rivers 
may  not  be  exhausted  by  too  much  fishing,  the  United  States 
government  has  established  a  station  at  Fairport  to  look  after 
the  industry  and  to  help  keep  the  rivers  stocked  with  clams. 

So  great  is  the  demand  for  shells  in  Iowa  factories  that  shells 
are  being  shipped  to  Iowa  from  points  as  far  south  as  Alabama. 

After  the  shells  have  been  taken  to  the  factories  they  are  put 
to  soak  for  some  days  in  great  tanks  of  water  to  be  softened. 
They  are  then  sent  to  the  blank-makers,  who  stamp  out  the 
rounds  from  which  the  buttons  are  to  be  fashioned  with  little 
tubular  saws.  The  blanks  are  very  irregular  in  thickness,  as 
the  shells  are  curved  and  some  parts  are  much  thicker  than 
others.  Men  who  work  these  saws  are  paid  by  the  gross,  and 
some  become  so  expert  at  the  work  that  they  can  make 
very  good  wages.  How  many  is  a  gross?  After  the  blanks 
have  been  ground  and  polished  to  an  even  thickness  they  are 
sewed  on  cards,  the  condition  in  which  you  buy  them.  These 
button  factories  employ  hundreds  of  girls  as  well  as  many  men. 

If  you  look  at  the  list  of  manufactures  in  Chapter  XI  you 
will  find  a  great  many  which  have  not  been  even  mentioned. 


CHAPTER  IX 
TEL\NSPORTATION 

When  white  men  first  came  into  this  state  they  had  to  make 
use  of  the  Indian  trails  in  going  from  one  place  to  another,  for 
there  were  no  roads.  These  trails  were  very  narrow,  hard- 
beaten  tracks  made  by  the  ponies  as  they  went  single  file  across 
the  prairies  and  through  the  woods.  Why  did  the  Indians 
roam  about  so  much?  The  trails  were  so  narrow  that  they 
were  of  little  use  for  the  wagons  of  the  pioneers,  but  they  did 
serve  to  show  where  the  rivers  could  be  forded.  What  is  meant 
by  fording  a  stream  ?  At  what  seasons  of  the  year  would  it  be 
easiest  to  cross  Iowa  streams? 

Where  rivers  were  too  deep  to  ford,  travelers  had  to  be  taken 
across  in  canoes  or  small  rowboats.  About  how  large  is  a 
canoe  ?  This  was  a  very  slow  proceeding,  as  the  wagons  had  to 
be  unloaded  and  taken  to  pieces.  Sometimes  there  were  many 
wagons  in  one  of  these  immigrant  trains,  because  people  trav- 
eled together  for  company  and  for  safety.  Each  wagon  was 
loaded  with  all  the  family  possessions:  cooking  utensils,  bed- 
ding, clothes,  spinning  wheels, — everything  they  could  hope  to 
have  in  their  new  homes  except  the  things  they  could  later 
make  for  themselves.  It  often  took  more  than  a  day  to  get  a 
train  of  these  wagons  across  a  river  like  the  Iowa.  How  would 
the  cows  and  horses  get  across  ?  ]\Iany  times  the  wagons  were 
drawn  by  oxen.  Look  at  the  wagon  in  the  picture  called  ''West- 
ward" (Fig.  30).  One  can  imagine  that  the  children  in  the 
party  enjoyed  coming  to  streams,  for  they  often  had  to  walk 
many  miles  beside  the  heavily  loaded  wagons  as  these  were 
driven  across  the  prairies. 

Very  soon,  however,  ferries  were  put  in  at  the  chief  crossing 
places,  and  the  wagons  could  be  driven  on  these  ferry  boats 
and  taken  across  much  more  easily.    Have  you  ever  seen  such  a 

1 1 1 


112  IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 

ferry  ?  There  are  a  number  of  them  in  Iowa  today.  Burling- 
ton and  Dubuque  were  important  crossing  places,  and  ferries 
were  put  in  there  early.  At  first,  flatboats  which  had  to  be 
rowed  across  were  used,  but  soon  a  cable  was  used  to  draw  these 
flatboats  across.    Can  you  tell  how  this  would  work  ?    Perhaps 


Fig.  77.    Find  the  Waubonsie  Trail  on  the  road  map  on  pages  116  and  117.    This 
beautiful  winter  scene  is  on  that  trail  in  Mills  County 

some  of  you  could  make  a  small  model  to  show  the  class.  At 
some  places  along  the  Mississippi,  men  paid  the  government 
several  hundred  dollars  a  year  for  permission  to  run  the  ferries. 
When  permission  was  thus  obtained  no  one  else  could  put  in 
a  ferry  at  the  same  place.  How  could  one  afford  to  pay  so  much 
for  the  ferry  right  at  these  places?  Why  would  the  cost  for 
this  be  less  on  smaller  streams? 

Many  of  the  settlers  chose  farms  along  the  banks  of  streams, 
where  they  could  keep  boats  and  use  the  streams  as  much  as 


TRANSPORTATION  1 1 3 

possible  for  highways.  This  was  not  the  chief  reason  for  set- 
tUng  on  streams,  however.  You  know  that  in  those  days  Iowa 
was  a  prairie  region  except  in  the  southeastern  and  eastern 
parts,  though  there  is  no  real  prairie  to  be  seen  in  Iowa  now. 
In  many  parts  of  the  state  the  only  woodlands  to  be  found 
were  along  the  banks  of  streams.  There  were  none  of  the  farm- 
ers' groves  which  are  now  seen  in  every  direction.  Where  have 
these  come  from?  Can  you  imagine  what  your  home  region 
looked  like  in  those  days  ?  Describe  it.  When  a  pioneer  settled 
on  the  banks  of  a  stream  he  found  wood  for  buildings  and  fuel. 
Besides  these  he  had  shelter  from  winter  storms  and  a  water 
supply  for  his  family  and  his  stock.  The  prairie  land  beyond 
he  broke  for  his  fields. 

The  small  rowboats  could  easily  be  used  on  the  rivers  and 
still  are  so  used ;  but  in  those  days  there  were  also  many  larger 
boats,  because  other  means  of  transportation  were  so  poor. 
Good-sized  steamboats  ran  up  the  Iowa  River,  and  up  the 
Cedar  River  as  far  as  Waterloo,  returning  with  the  produce 
which  the  farmers  had  to  sell. 

For  many  years  traveling  was  very  slow  and  difficult.  Be- 
fore regular  roads  were  laid  out,  routes  which  were  used  fre- 
quently were  marked  in  some  way.  As  early  as  1839  there  was 
a  great  deal  of  travel  to  Iowa  City.  This  was  a  year  after 
we  began  our  own  government  as  the  Territory  of  Iowa,  and 
Iowa  City  had  just  been  chosen  as  our  capital.  Many  travelers 
crossed  the  river  at  Dubuque  and  lost  their  way  on  the  long 
stretch  across  the  prairie  to  Iowa  City,  so  a  man  was  hired  to 
plow  a  furrow  all  the  way  from  Dubuque  to  the  capital,  as  a 
guide  or  marker.  To  do  this,  he  used  a  breaking  plow  and  five 
yoke  of  oxen. 

Soon  a  stage  line  was  running  from  this  new  capital  to 
Muscatine.  About  how  many  miles  was  this  ?  Not  long  after, 
the  stage  lines  began  to  carry  passengers  and  mail  between  im- 
portant settlements.  This  was  a  slow  way  to  get  about,  for  the 
roads  were  poor — in  some  places  merely  parallel  wheel  tracks, 
and  in  other  places  often  only  ruts  through  the  tall  grass. 
In  the  spring,  when  rains  were  heavy,  the  low  places  were 


114 


IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 


mudholes,  and  in  the  winter,  when  snows  were  deep,  the  unfor- 
tunate passengers  and  stage  drivers  had  many  slow,  cold  rides. 
From  that  day  to  this,  the  roads  have  been  one  of  our  big 
problems — a  problem  which  has  not  yet  been  very  well  solved, 
as  you  will  decide  when  you  look  at  Fig.  78.  Iowa  has  come 
to  realize  that  the  mud  blockade  costs  its  farmers  millions 
of  dollars,  and  whatever  affects  the  farmer  affects  all  the  rest  of 
us.    Give  as  many  reasons  as  you  can  think  of  why  this  is  true. 


Fig.  78.    Thanks  to  the  Good  Roads  Movement,  sights  like  this  are  becoming 
less  common  each  year 

Will  it  pay  Iowa  to  spend  large  amounts  of  money  on 
roads  ?  Let  us  first  decide  what  poor  roads  cost.  Before  you 
answer  this  question  think  of  all  the  ways  in  which  poor  roads 
hinder  us.  Take  into  consideration  the  creameries  and  the 
necessary  carrying  of  grain,  hogs,  eggs,  and  machinery.  Re- 
member the  merchant  in  town  who  wants  the  things  the  farmer 
has  to  sell.  Consider  also  the  mail-carriers,  the  school-teachers, 
the  school  Bus,  and  the  doctors.  With  the  coming  of  the  auto- 
mobile and  the  motor  truck  the  question  of  good  roads  has  be- 
come one  of  supreme  importance  to  Iowa.  At  the  present  time 
there  are  four  automobiles  in  the  state  for  every  mile  of  road. 


TRANSPORTATION  115 

Before  we  decide  where  the  money  is  to  come  from  to  pay 
for  good  roads  let  us  see  why  our  roads  are  laid  out  where  they 
are.  In  the  northern  and  western  parts  of  the  state  the  roads 
are  laid  out  in  checkerboard  pattern,  following  section  lines. 
In  the  eastern  and  southern  portions  they  are  not  so  regular. 
There  are  two  reasons  for  this :  First,  the  roads  in  the  parts 
of  the  state  where  the  earliest  settlements  were  made  came  be- 
fore any  attempts  at  surveys  had  been  made  and  led  across 
country  in  any  direction  from  one  group  of  people  to  another. 
Second,  in  the  southern  part  of  the  state  the  country  is  very 
hilly,  and  the  roads  often  follow  ridges  because  the  lower 
ground  was  sometimes  impassable.  In  the  northeastern  part  of 
the  state,  in  Allamakee  and  Winneshiek  counties,  what  would 
influence  the  course  of  the  roads?  Look  at  some  of  the  pic- 
tures of  this  region  before  you  decide  (see  Figs.  15  and  16). 
In  such  counties  as  Emmet  and  Palo  Alto  the  surface  is  so  level 
that  roads  can  easily  be  laid  out  to  follow  section  lines.  What 
advantage  do  you  see  in  this  ? 

The  road  system  of  the  state  includes  the  primary  road 
system,  the  county  roads,  and  the  township  roads.  The 
primary  system  is  under  state  control.  The  construction  and 
maintenance  of  the  roads  in  the  county  system  is  entirely  under 
the  authority  of  the  boards  of  supervisors.  The  construction 
and  maintenance  of  the  roads  in  the  township  system  are  in  the 
hands  of  the  township  trustees;  but  in  both  the  county  and 
township  systems  all  extensive  graveling  or  hard-surface  work 
must  be  according  to  standard  plans  of  the  state  highway  de- 
partment. At  the  present  time  the  primary  road  system  in- 
cludes over  6600  miles  of  roads ;  the  county  road  system  over 
10,000  miles;  and  the  township  road  system  over  87,000  miles. 
Fig.  80  shows  a  typical  gravel  road,  well  made  and  drained. 
There  were  800  miles  of  such  road  in  the  primary  system 
January  i,  1920,  and  many  miles  are  being  added.  Are  there 
any  good  gravel  roads  in  your  neighborhood  ? 

We  cannot  study  all  of  these  roads  in  detail,  but  we  shall 
find  out  what  we  can  about  the  primary  ( state )  roads,  as  they 
are  the  most  important  highways  in  the  state.    Kighty-five  per 


Conncil  Blui 


IOWA 

PRIMARY  ROAD  SYSTEM 


Map  i'late,  I'atented  July 


Mftlioil  c)t  Mttkiii;;  Mapa,  I'ateTited  July  .">,  I'.H'l 


SCALE  OF   MILES 


iiS 


IOWA  STATE  GEOGRArHY 


KEY  TO  THE  PRIMARY  ROAD  SYSTEM  OF  IOWA 


ROAD   NO. 

1.  Jefferson  Highway 

2.  White  Pole  Route 

3.  Waubonsie  Trail 

4.  Okoboji  Trail 

5.  Grant  Highway 

6.  Lincoln  Highway 

7.  River-to-River  Road 

8.  Blue  Grass  Trail 

9.  Imperial  Highway 

10.  McCircgur  to  llawarden 

11.  Minnesota  State  Line  to  Missouri 

12.  South   Dakota  State   Line  to  Mis- 

souri 

13.  McCirej^or  to  Missouri  State  Line 

14.  Charles  City  to  Missouri  State  Line 

15.  Wilson  Highway 

16.  Daniel  Boone  Trail 

17.  Spirit  Lake  to  Albia 

18.  Sac  City  to  Missouri  State  Line 

19.  North  Iowa  Pike 

20.  Minnesota  State  Line  to  Keokuk 

21.  Minnesota  State  Line  to  Ida  Grove 

22.  Minnesota  State  Line  to  Sioux  City 

23.  Hawkeye  Cut-Off 

24.  Ottumwa  to  Council  Bluffs 

25.  Adel  to  Winterset 

26.  From  Road  No.  22  to  Rock  Valley 

27.  Le  Mars  to  Akron 

28.  Dubuque  to  Cedar  Rapids 

29.  From  Road  No.  27  to  Sioux  City 

30.  Remsen  to  Road  No.  23 

31.  Cherokee  to  Smithland 

32.  Cleghorn  to  Road  No.  5 

33.  Meriden  to  Road  No.  5 

34.  Sioux  City  to  Denison 

35.  Rockwell  City  to  Mapleton 

36.  From  Road  No.  35  to  Wall  Lake 

37.  Dunlap  to  Onavva 

38.  Anamosa  to  Muscatine 

39.  Harlan  to  Mondamin 

40.  Red  Ball  Route 

41.  From  Road  No.  8  to  Malvern 

42.  Riverton  to  Road  No.  12 

43.  Minnesota  State  Line  to  Armstrong 

44.  Rolfe  to  Road  No.  10 

45.  Manilla  to  Road  No.  4 

46.  Coon  Rapids  to  Manning 

47.  From  Road  No.  16  to  Cowrie 

48.  Red  Oak  to  Shenandoah 

49.  From  Road  No.  8  to  Lenox 

50.  Lehigh  to  Road  No.  16 

51.  Minnesota  State  Line  to  Postville 

52.  ?>om  Road  No.  59  to  Lima 

53.  Nora  Springs  to  Charles  City 


ROAD  NO. 

54.  From  Road  No.  14  to  Marble  Rock 

55.  Clarksville  to  Road  No.  10 

56.  Cuttenberg  to  West  Union 

57.  Cedar  Falls  to  Grundy  Center 

58.  Vinton  to  Iowa  Falls 

59.  Minnesota  State  Line  to  Missouri 

60.  Goldfield  to  Des  Moines 

61.  Clinton  to  Anamosa 

62.  Rellevue  to  Maquoketa 

63.  Grinnell  to  Oskaloosa 

64.  Colo  to  Colfax 

65.  Indianola  to  Lucas 

66.  Ilumeston  to  Road  No.  3 

67.  I'Vom  Road  No.  3  to  Seymour 

68.  From  Road  No.  8  to  Melrose 

69.  Mystic  to  Road  No.  3 

70.  From  Road  No.  15  to  Macksburg 

71.  From  Road  No.  3  to  Moulton 

72.  Dows  to  Road  No.  15 

73.  l^elle  Plaine  to  Marengo 

74.  Davenport  to  Iowa  City 

75.  Marcus  to  Road  No.  5 

76.  West  Liberty  to  Wapello 

77.  Keota  to  Fairfield 

78.  Winfield  to  Road  No.  40 

79.  Bonaparte  to  Road  No.  3 

80.  Burlington  to  Road  No.  8 

81.  Wellman  to  Road  No.  11 

82.  From  Road  No.  40  to  Blairstown 

83.  Walnut  to  Avoca 

84.  Road  No.  18  to  College  Springs 

85.  What  Cheer  to  Road  No.  2 

86.  Council  Bluffs  to  Manawa  Park 

87.  Flkhart  to  Road  No.  15 

88.  Bondurant  to  Road  No.  7 

89.  Camp  Dodge  to  Road  No.  7 

90.  Fort  Dodge  to  Bouton 

91.  Dayton  to  Road  No.  90 

92.  From  Road  No.  loi  to  Urbana 

93.  Sumner  to  Road  No.  59 

94.  Marion  to  Road  No.  6 

95.  Woodward  to  Road  No.  90 

96.  From  Road  No.  59  to  (iladbrook 

97.  From  Road  No.  8  to  Russell 

98.  From  Road  No.  8  to  Eldon 

99.  Clinton  to  Davenport 

100.  From  Road  No.  24  to  Griswold 

101.  Independence  to  Vinton 

102.  Hawkeye  to  Road  No.  19 

103.  Fort  Madison  to  Road  No.  40 

104.  Council  Bluffs  to  Macedonia 

105.  Lake  Mills  to  St.  Ansgar 

106.  .South  side  of  Clear  Lake 

107.  Clear  Lake  to  Thornton 


TRANSPORTATION  119 

cent  of  Iowa's  population  lives  either  on  the  line  of  the  primary 
road  system  or  in  towns  touched  by  the  system.  In  general, 
every  county  seat  in  this  system  has  at  least  one  north-and- 
south  and  one  east-and-west  road,  and  every  county-seat  town 
is  linked  up  with  every  other  county  seat  and  the  state  capital. 
What  is  a  county  seat?  What  is  the  county  seat  in  your 
county  ?  Can  you  locate  on  the  road  map  on  pages  116  and  117 
the  roads  near  your  home  ?  See  whether  they  have  names 
(p.  118).  How  far  do  you  live  from  these  roads?  With  what 
places  do  they  connect  the  county  seat  of  your  county  ? 

You  will  find  on  the  map  of  the  primary  road  system,  just 
referred  to,  certain  numbers.  These  road  numbers  have  been 
established  by  the  State  Highway  Commission  and  are  regarded 
as  permanent.  As  far  as  possible,  on  interstate  roads  the  same 
number,  has  been  given  as  appears  on  the  road  in  adjoin- 
ing states.  Thus  it  was  found  that  the  Jefferson  Highway, 
which  extends  from  the  Minnesota  line  to  the  Missouri  line, 
was  No.  I  in  Minnesota,  so  this  number  was  assigned  to  the 
same  road  in  Iowa.  The  River-to-River  Road  in  Illinois  was 
No.  7,  and  it  became  No.  7  in  Iowa.  The  North  Iowa  Pike, 
which  is  No.  19  on  the  map,  is  also  No.  19  in  Wisconsin; 
and  so  on.  For  a  fuller  explanation  of  the  road  numbers  on 
this  map  study  the  key  on  page  118. 

The  state  road  officials  adopted,  besides  the  numbering  sys- 
tem, a  standard  road-number  symbol.  The  symbol  follows  the 
outline  of  the  state  of  Iowa,  with  the  word  ^'Primary"  at 
the  top,  the  word  "Road"  at  the  bottom,  and  the  number  of 
the  road  in  the  center — painted  in  black  on  a  yellow  back- 
ground. To  show  turns  at  corners,  an  arrow  bent  at  right 
angles  points  either  to  the  right  or  to  the  left  turn. 

The  River-to-River  Road,  from  Davenport  to  Council  Bluffs, 
through  Des  Moines,  was  the  original  named  tourist  route 
in  Iowa.  It  is  said  that  the  Lincoln,  Jefferson,  and  Dixie  high- 
ways all  are  patterned  along  the  same  lines  of  organization 
as  this  once  famous  River-to-River  Road.  It  is  probable  that, 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  of  the  more  important  tourist 
routes — such  as  the  Lincoln  Highway,  the  Jefferson  Highway, 


120  IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 

and  a  few  others — the  use  of  the  road  numbers  will  displace 
the  use  of  the  road  names.  The  names  are  interesting,  how- 
ever, in  connection  with  the  study  of  the  road  development  in 
the  state.  Road  No.  2  is  also  known  as  the  Great  White  Way. 
Between  what  big  cities  does  this  road  run?  Which  of  the 
well-known  highways  have  you  ridden  on? 

Now  let  us  find  out  where  the  money  comes  from  to  keep 
up  these  state  roads.  The  primary  system  of  roads  is  to 
be  improved  and  maintained  entirely  with  the  proceeds  of 
automobile-license  fees  and  money  allotted  to  Iowa  by  the 
United  States  government.  This  is  known  as  federal-aid 
money.  The  funds  for  primary  roads  in  the  1920  season  were 
Si 5,000,000.  Eight  millions  of  this  came  from  automobile 
taxes  and  seven  millions  from  federal  aid.  How  much  do  the 
automobile-license  fees  amount  to  in  your  county?  What 
county  officer  collects  these  fees?  Is  the  total  amount  ever 
published  in  your  newspaper?  The  State  Highway  Commis- 
sion and  the  County  Board  of  Supervisors  have  charge  of  all 
the  work  in  this  system. 

The  state  law  provides  that  the  primary  road  system  shall  be 
divided  into  patrol  districts,  and  a  patrolman  or  crew  be 
established  in  each  district.  At  present  this  patrol  work  is 
along  maintenance  lines  only.  Have  you  ever  noticed  the  road 
patrol  going  over  the  roads  with  a  King  drag  ?  Why  does 
he  do  the  work  after  a  rain  ? 

Now  let  us  very  briefly  take  up  a  few  points  regarding  county 
roads.  If  the  people  of  a  county  wish  to  have  the  roads 
hard-surfaced,  they  vote  on  the  question.  What  has  your 
county  done  in  this  regard  ?  Look  at  the  picture  of  a  concrete 
road  in  Linn  County  (Fig.  79).  There  are  now  a  good  many 
miles  of  concrete  road  in  the  state.  The  law  provides  that  one 
fourth  of  the  cost  of  construction  of  a  hard-surfaced  road  shall 
be  paid  by  the  property  owners  on  or  near  the  road.  If  you 
owned  a  farm  on  a  poor  road,  would  you  be  willing  to  pay  your 
share  for  the  sake  of  having  it  made  a  good  road  ?  Perhaps  if 
you  look  at  Fig.  78  it  will  help  you  to  decide.  How  much  will 
it  probably  cost  the  man  who  owns  this  automobile  to  get  it  out 


TRANSPORTATION  1 2  i 

of  the  mud  ?  Bear  in  mind  the  loss  of  time  as  well  as  money 
spent.  Could  a  heavy  load  be  hauled  over  this  mud  road? 
Have  you  any  road  such  as  this  near  your  home  ? 

The  county  road  system  is  entirely  under  the  direction  of 
the  County  Board  of  Supervisors.  Do  you  know  any  of  these 
men  in  your  county  ?  The  money  for  these  roads  comes  from 
the  county-road  levies.    The  township  roads  are  under  the 


j^M 

^^^^^^^^Hpp> . 

^ 

^^^^^^^: 

Fig.  7g.  A  mile  of  concrete  on  the  Lincoln  Highway  a  few  miles  east  of  Cedar 
Rapids  is  shown  in  this  picture.  Spring  mud  will  not  bother  us  when  we  have 
roads  like  this.    Find  the  Lincoln  Highway  on  the  road  map  (pp.  ii6  and  117) 

management  of  the  township  trustees.  Do  you  know  whether 
you  live  on  a  state  road,  a  county  road,  or  a  township  road  ? 
When  you  studied  about  the  early  lead  mines  you  learned 
that  much  of  the  lead  was  sold  in  eastern  United  States.  How 
was  it  taken  there  from  Dubuque  ?  This  route  was  much  too 
slow  and  roundabout  when  Iowa  came  to  have  other  things 
besides  lead  to  ship  east.  Many  of  these  later  shipments  were 
made  from  points  not  near  the  Mississippi  River.  Some  goods 
were  sent  by  wagon  across  the  prairies  of  Illinois  to  the  Great 
Lakes,  to  be  carried  east  from  there  by  boat.  Other  goods 
were  shipped  down  the  Mississippi  River  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Illinois  River;   thence  up  the  Illinois  and  through  the  canal 


122 


IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 


which  connected  this  river  with  Lake  Michigan.    Trace  this 
route.    This  method  was  slow  and  expensive. 

Illinois  had  built  about  three  hundred  miles  of  railroad  be- 
fore Iowa  had  built  any,  and  Chicago  had  become  an  important 
market.  Business  men  in  Iowa  saw  what  advantages  there 
w^ould  be  in  having  railroads  in  Iowa  connect  with  those  of 


Fig.  8o.    This  gravel  road  in  Greene  County  is  another  kind  of  good  road  and 
serves  very  well  where  gravel  is  plentiful.    What  is  done  to  the  road  before  the 

gravel  is  put  on  ? 


Illinois.  How  many  of  these  advantages  can  you  name  ?  What 
cities  lost  much  of  our  trade  by  the  building  of  this  railroad  ? 

The  first  survey  for  a  railroad  in  Iowa  was  made  in  the  fall 
of  1852.  December  22,  1852,  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri 
River  Railroad  Company  was  formed  to  build  a  railroad  from 
Davenport  to  Council  Bluffs.  The  line  from  Davenport  to 
Iowa  City,  a  distance  of  about  fifty-four  miles,  was  completed 
January  i,  1856.  How  were  the  engines  and  cars  and  material 
for  the  railroad  carried  across  the  Mississippi  River? 

A  branch  from  this  road  went  from  Wilton  to  Muscatine. 
In  November,  1855,  the  first  train  ran  from  Davenport  to 
Muscatine,  for  this  part  of  the  road  was  completed  first. 
Mr.  Aurner,  in  Vol.  II  of  his  ''Iowa  Stories,"  tells  of  the  great 


TRANSPORTATION 


123 


celebration  that  was  held  at  Muscatine  when  this  line  was 
completed  and  of  the  tables  piled  high  with  meats  and  cakes. 

In  February,  1853,  this  railroad  company  made  an  agree- 
ment with  the  Railroad  Bridge  Company  of  Illinois  for  the 
construction  of  a  bridge 
over  the  Mississippi  River, 
connecting  Rock  Island 
and  Davenport.  Work  on 
the  bridge  was  started 
in  the  fall  of  1853,  and 
the  bridge  was  completed 
on  April  21,  1856,  a  little 
more  than  three  months 
after  the  railroad  to  Iowa 
City  had  been  completed. 

Another  railroad  was 
built  westward  from  Du- 
buque in  1 8  5  7 .  This  road , 
which  was  called  the  Du- 
buque and  Pacific,  shows 
how  far  those  who  built 
it  hoped  some  time  to  ex- 
tend it.  Later  it  was  re- 
named the  Illinois  Central. 
At  what  city  does  it  reach 
the  Missouri  River?  At 
what  other  points  do  Iowa 
railroads  cross  the  Mis- 
souri River?  At  what  points  do  Iowa  railroads  cross  the 
Mississippi?  To  what  great  city  in  Illinois  do  most  of  these 
roads  run  ?  How  does  this  city  compare  in  size  with  the  largest 
city  of  Iowa  ? 

Iowa  is  fortunate  in  being  traversed  by  six  trunk  lines  of  rail- 
way :  namely,  the  Chicago  and  North  Western ;  the  Chicago, 
Rock  Island,  and  Pacific;  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee,  and  St. 
Paul ;  the  Illinois  Central ;  the  Burlington  ;  and  the  Chicago 
and  Great  Western.    In  a  state  so  rich  in   farm  i:)roducts  it 


Fig.  Si.  Cuts  for  railroads  had  to  be  made 
through  soHd  rock  in  a  very  few  places  in 
the  state.  This  cut  is  on  the  C.  M.  & 
St.  P.  near  Fayette.  Can  you  locate  this 
railroad  on  the  map  (Fig.  82  )  ? 


TRANSPORTATION  1 2  5 

means  much  to  have  certain  and  quick  transportation  to  the 
great  central  market  of  Chicago.  It  is  said  that  there  is  no 
point  in  Iowa  at  a  greater  distance  than  about  twelve  miles 
from  a  railroad. 

Why  do  so  many  more  Iowa  railroads  extend  east  and  west 
than  north  and  south  ?  Iowa  has  over  fourteen  thousand  miles 
of  railroads  today  (Fig.  82).  How  many  years  is  it  since  the 
first  one  was  built?  Make  a  list  of  twenty  of  the  most  im- 
portant products  which  are  shipped  from  Iowa  by  rail.  Make 
a  similar  list  of  goods  shipped  into  the  state  by  rail.  Why  has 
Iowa  so  many  miles  of  railroads  ? 


CHArTER  X 
THE  BIRTHRIGHT  OF  THE  CHILDREN  OF  IOWA 

Education 

It  is  a  long  step  from  the  humble  schoolhouse  which  was 
Iowa's  first  adventure  in  education  to  the  beautiful  school 


Fig.  83.    This  copy  of  an  old  print  shows  what  is  said  to  be  the  first  schoolhouse 
built  in  Iowa.    Describe  the  inside  as  you  imagine  it  to  have  been 

buildings  which  we  see  today,  yet  that  step  has  been  made  in 
less  than  ninety-five  years.  Iowa  has  advanced  until  she  has 
the  highest  per  cent  of  literacy  of  any  state  in  the  Union. 
Ninety-nine  out  of  every  hundred  persons  can  read  and  write. 
Why  cannot  every  grown  person  in  the  state  read  ? 

The  little  old  school  in  Fig.  83,  said  to  be  the  oldest  school 
in  the  state,  was  called  Brush  College.    It  was  made  of  logs 

126 


Fig.  84.    Many  one-room  schools  were  closed  in  order  that  the  pupils  might  go 
to  the  consolidated  school  at  Tipton.    Here  are  a  few  of  them 


Fig.  85.    I'his  IS  a  typical  consolidaicfl  -cn(K)l  in  ( )rani;i'    I  ouii^liip,  Black  Hawk 
County.    It  is  in  the  open  country.    \o  town  is  near,  but  the  building  has  every 
convenience  of  the  well-equipped  town  school.    Make  a  list  of  all  the  advan- 
tages which  such  a  school  as  this  has  over  the  one-room  country  school 


Fig.  86.    This  is  the  way  we  used  to  go  to  country  school   on  cold  winter 

mornings.    Sometimes  it  was  fun,  but  oh  !  how  cold  we  were  when  the 

mercury  was  below  zero 


Fig.  87. 


This  is  the  way  in  which  the  children  in  hundreds  of  consolidated 
schools  in  Iowa  now  go  to  school 


BIRTHRIGHT  OF  CHILDREN  OF  IOWA       129 

chinked  with  mud,  had  a  dirt  floor,  oiled  paper  for  windows, 
and  slab  seats  which  were  hewn  out  with  axes.  Some  day 
when  you  think  you  are  not  very  comfortable  in  school,  imagine 
sitting  in  those  seats. 

These  first  schools  were  not  free ;  a  fee  had  to  be  paid  for 
each  child.  Iowa  did  not  have  free  schools  until  1838.  The 
United  States  government  gave  to  each  state  a  certain  amount 


Fig.  88.    This  building  al  liie  UnntrrMiy  ui  Iowa  i?  ihe  Hall  of  Natural  Sciences. 
What  preparation  must  one  have  to  enter  the  university  ? 


of  land  which  was  to  be  rented  or  sold,  and  the  money  obtained 
in  this  way  was  to  be  used  for  public  schools.  If  we  had  kept 
our  school  land  until  today  we  might  have  had  a  great  deal  of 
money  for  school  purposes,  but  unfortunately  much  of  it  was 
sold  in  the  early  days  for  less  than  S5  per  acre.  Have  you 
ever  heard  of  the  school  section  in  your  township  ?  Find  out 
which  it  is. 

In  Fig.  84  you  see  pictures  of  a  number  of  schools  which  have 
been  closed  in  order  that  the  children  might  be  taken  to  one 
large,  consolidated  school.  This  is  what  is  happening  all  over 
the  state.  There  are  now  about  four  hundred  and  thirty  consol- 
idated schools  (Fig.  85).    School  officers  are  coming  to  Iowa 


1^0 


IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 


from  other  states  to  see  what  has  been  done  here  in  school  con- 
soUdation.  Should  you  rather  recite  in  a  class  of  fifteen  or  in  a 
class  of  one  ?  Write  down  all  the  ways  in  which  you  think  the 
consolidated  schools  are  better  than  the  one-room  schools. 
Although  the  one-room  schools  are  being  closed,  and  we  are 


Fig.  89.    Central  Building  at  Iowa  College  of  Agriculture  and  Mechanics  Arts. 

lowans  do  not  begrudge  money  to  make  this  school  larger  and  better,  because 

they  know  it  does  so  much  for  our  greatest  industry.    (Courtesy  of  Iowa  State 

Agricultural  College) 


glad  that  better  things  in  education  are  coming  to  Iowa,  we 
must  remember  that  many  fine  teachers  have  taught  in  these 
little  schools  and  that  many  great  men  and  women  have 
received  at  least  a  part  of  their  education  there. 

Besides  the  land  for  the  common  schools  the  federal  gov- 
ernment has  given  both  land  and  money  for  the  State  Uni- 
versity, Agricultural  College,  and  Teachers  College.  The  State 
University  was  the  first  of  these  to  be  organized  (Fig.  88).  It 
was  established  at  Iowa  City  in  1847,  although  it  did  not  really 


Fig.  go.     In  this  picture  a  class  at  Ames  is  shown  studying  and  judging  horses. 
How  does  this  help  the  state  ?    (Courtesy  of  Iowa  State  Agricultural  College) 


Mh 

M 

li 

'■WrnMLmk^ 

^^M 

'  "' 

Ill 

•-J^ 

**^ 

, 

Fig.  qi.  This  view  shows  the  north  end  of  the  campus  at  the  State  Teachers  Col- 
lege in  Cedar  Falls.    The  building  in  the  foreground  contains  a  large  auditorium 
and  a  number  of  classrooms  and  society  rooms 


Fig.  92.    The  large  library  at  the  hnva  Slate   leachers  College  is  usually  well 
filled  with  students 


Fig.  93.    In  addition  to  the  usual  studies  of  the  schoolroom  many  things  are 

taught  which  will  make  Iowa  farms  more  profitable.    The  Iowa  canning  clubs 

are  famous.    In  these  clubs  girls  are  taught  how  to  save  the  products  of  the 

farm  for  winter  use.    Note  the  steam-pressure  cooker  in  the  picture 


BIRTHRIGHT  OF  CHILDREN  OF  IOWA        133 

begin  work  until  eight  years  later,  for  it  had  no  buildings  and  no 
money.  When  the  capital  was  moved  to  Des  Moines  the  state 
gave  the  university  the  old  Capitol  building  and  a  part  of  the 
land  which  is  now  the  university  campus.  So  many  beautiful 
buildings  have  been  built  on  the  campus  since  then  that  the 
old  Capitol  looks  small,  but  when  you  think  of  what  it  has  seen 
and  heard  you  may 
conclude  that  it  is 
the  most  interesting 
building  there  (see 
Fig.  28).  What  other 
pictures  of  univer- 
sity buildings  do  you 
find  in  the  book  ?  Is 
there  any  difference 
between  a  univer- 
sity and  a  college  ? 

The  State  College 
of  Agriculture  was 
the  next  of  the  state 
schools  to  be  opened 
(Fig.  89).  This  col- 
lege at  Ames  has  a 
large  and  beautiful 
campus  and  much 
farm  land.  Why  does  it  need  this  farm  land  ?  Find  out  some 
of  the  things  which  are  taught  at  the  College  of  Agriculture 
(Fig.  90).  An  experiment  station  is  maintained  there.  In  what 
ways  does  this  help  the  state  ? 

The  State  Teachers  College  was  first  called  the  State  Normal 
School.  It  was  established  at  Cedar  Falls  in  1876.  Teachers  for 
all  grades  of  the  public  schools  are  trained  there  (Figs.  91,  92). 

Besides  these  three,  which  are  called  institutions  of  higher 
learning,  the  state  has  a  school  for  the  blind  at  Vinton  and  one 
for  the  deaf  at  Council  Bluffs. 

Our  school  buildings  are  very  different  from  those  of  early 
days,  and  the  subjects  taught  are  different  also  (  Fig.  94).    Find 


Fig.    g4.    Just   what    is    this    boy    doing  ?    What 

measurements   will   he   take  ?    Why  is  this  work 

done  in  Iowa  schools  ?  (Courtesy  of  International 

Harvester  Company) 


134 


10\\\\  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 


out  from  an  old  settler  the  subjects  which  he  studied ;  write 
thcni  down  and  compare  them  with  a  list  of  those  which  you 
study.  There  are  many  other  features  of  the  schools  of  today 
which  were  unheard  of  even  twenty  years  ago.  Think  of  the 
corn-club  antl  canning-club  and  baby-beef  contests  in  which 
Iowa  boys  and  girls  have  a  chance  to  take  part!  (See  Figs. 
93,  95,  and  104.)    Think  of  the  school  gardens  and  the  health 


Fig.  qs.    Boone  County  boys  are  shown  here  judging  corn.    Could  you  select  the 

best  ears  in  a  bushel  of  corn  ?    These  boys  have  been  trained  so  carefully  in  this 

sort  of  work  that  they  know  immediately  what  points  to  look  for 


crusades  and  the  Red  Cross  work !  You  may  have  heard  of 
vocational  and  part-time  schools  which  have  been  organized 
within  the  past  few  years.  They  are  supported  partly  by  the 
state  and  partly  by  the  United  States.  By  means  of  these 
schools  boys  and  girls  who  have  to  go  to  work  before  they 
finish  the  regular  school  course  are  enabled  to  continue  their 
education,  especially  in  the  line  of  the  vocation  or  industry  in 
which  they  are  interested.  In  the  winter,  farm  boys  have  spare 
time  and  can  enter  the  classes  in  agriculture  which  are  estab- 
lished by  the  director  of  vocational  education  in  their  neighbor- 
hoods. In  the  towns,  boys  working  in  factories  are  given  a 
chance  to  go  into  part-time  classes  during  the  day  or  evening. 


BIRTHRIGHT  OF  CHILDREN  OF  IOWA       135 

In  1920  there  were  more  than  five  hundred  thousand  persons 
in  Iowa  attending  school,  and  the  yearly  bill  for  education 
amounted  to  $30,000,000.  This  bill  could  easily  be  paid  with 
the  proceeds  of  the  eggs  produced  in  Iowa  in  a  single  year.  The 
state  is  rich  and  is  glad  to  pay  the  cost  of  education,  for,  after 
all,  Iowa's  best  crop  is  good  men  and  women. 

Besides  the  state-supported  schools  there  are  many  very  ex- 
cellent colleges  supported  privately  or  by  some  religious  denom- 
ination. Do  you  know  the  location  of  some  of  these? 
Thousands  of  students  attend  these  schools  each  year. 

State  Parks  and  Other  Beauty  Spots 

A  short  time  ago  the  children  of  a  certain  school  in  Iowa 
were  writing  to  the  children  of  a  school  in  Florida.  One  of 
the  boys  wrote,  ''Tell  me  something  about  Florida;  there  is 
nothing  interesting  to  write  about  Iowa."  This  showed  that 
the  Iowa  boy  had  either  never  traveled  in  his  own  state  and 
studied  its  geography  or  that  he  was  not  clever  enough  to 
recognize  an  interesting  thing  when  he  saw  it.  Which  do  you 
think  it  was?  There  are  a  great  many  people  who  never  see 
the  beautiful  and  interesting  features  in  their  surroundings. 
Try  not  to  be  one  of  these. 

A  few  years  ago  Iowa  awakened  to  the  knowledge  that  all 
its  beautiful  places  had  passed  into  the  hands  of  private  indi- 
viduals, and  that  there  were  no  places  left  where  people 
could  go  to  enjoy  themselves  without  trespassing  on  someone's 
land.  ''In  1919  there  were  not  ten  acres  of  public  woods, 
water  landings,  or  open  prairies  in  the  state  except  in  cities." 
A  Board  of  Conservation  was  appointed  by  the  legislature  to 
see  if  the  most  beautiful  of  these  places  could  not  be  bought 
back  from  their  owners,  so  that  the  people  of  Iowa  might  have 
some  state  parks  where  all  would  be  free  to  go  for  recreation 
and  where  wild  animals  and  birds  would  be  unmolested. 

We  have  the  opportunity  to  save  many  fine  trees.  If  these 
were  cut  down  the  soil  would  wash  away,  and  there  would  be 
fewer  springs  and  pretty  little  glens.    It  is  thought  that  if  these 


136  IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 

remaining  forest  areas  are  carefully  tended,  in  twenty-five 
years  they  will  resemble  the  primitive  forests  which  stood  in 
these  same  locations  fifty  years  ago.  Some  of  our  wild  plants 
are  gone  forever,  just  as  many  of  our  wild  animals  are  gone,  but 
others  still  can  be  saved  from  destruction.  Are  some  of  the 
wild  flowers  becoming  scarce  in  your  neighborhood?  Could 
you  not  do  something  to  prevent  this? 

At  the  present  time  the  Board  of  Conservation  has  chosen 
about  ten  areas  which  have  been  made  or  are  to  be  made  into 
state  parks.  We  shall  study  these  briefly,  because  in  these  days 
of  automobiles  everyone  will  have  a  chance  sometime  to  visit 
several  of  them,  and  you  will  enjoy  your  visits  more  if  you 
know  something  about  the  places  to  which  you  are  going. 
On  an  outline  map  of  Iowa  mark  the  location  of  each  park 
as  we  study  it.  The  maps  in  the  book  are  not  large  enough  to 
have  these  parks  marked.  When  we  have  finished  studying 
the  parks  you  are  to  decide  whether  any  of  them  are  near 
enough  for  you  to  visit  next  summer. 

The  first  state  park  to  be  acquired  was  that  known  as  the 
Devil's  Backbone,  twelve  miles  northwest  of  Manchester,  in 
Delaware  County.  It  is  said  to  be  ''  the  gift  of  Iowa's  sports- 
men to  the  people  of  the  state,"  because  it  was  paid  for  from  the 
hunting-license  proceeds.  Study  the  picture  (Fig.  96)  care- 
fully to  find  some  of  the  things  mentioned  in  the  following 
description.  The  ''Backbone"  is  a  rocky  ridge  around  which 
the  Maquoketa  River  flows.  ''Erosion  and  decay,"  says  Pro- 
fessor Calvin,  "have  carved  the  rocks  into  picturesque  columns, 
towers,  castles,  battlements,  and  flying  buttresses."  What 
makes  rocks  decay?  What  does  the  decayed  rock  form? 
The  faces  of  the  cliff  are  half  hidden  by  trees  and  creeping 
vines.  You  may  even  find  a  charming  little  rock-built  room. 
A  spring-fed  stream  contains  trout  and  bass.  In  what  kinds 
of  streams  do  trout  live  ? 

Another  park  lies  about  ten  miles  southeast  of  Fort  Dodge 
on  the  west  bank  of  the  Des  Moines  River.  This  area  has  for  a 
long  time  been  known  as  Boneyard  Hollow  and  Woodman's 
Hollow.    It  contains  four  hundred  and  fifty  acres.    What  part 


BIRTHRIGHT  OF  CHILDREN  OF  IOWA       137 


of  a  section  is  this  ?  The  scenery  in  this  park  is  beautiful,  but 
it  has  other  things  of  interest  to  school  children.  Woodman's 
Hollow  once  belonged  to  a  man  named  Woodman.  The  opening 
into  the  Hollow  is  nar- 
row. The  beauty  of  the 
ferns  everywhere  will  de- 
light you — the  ostrich 
ferns,  the  dainty  maiden- 
hair, the  walking-leaf, 
with  its  curious  habit  of 
reaching  out  and  root- 
ing itself,  and  the  cliff 
brake.  People  have  been 
very  thoughtless  about 
digging  up  these  plants 
and  carrying  them  away, 
but  now  that  the  area  has 
been  made  a  state  park 
they  will  of  course  be  left 
there  for  all  of  us  to  en- 
joy. There  are  scores  of 
different  kinds  ©f  flowers 
and  trees,  and  the  whole 
place  is  cool,  dark,  and 
shady  on  hot  summer 
days.  On  an  island  is  a 
rock  called  Steamboat 
Rock.  Just  beyond  this 
is  Boneyard  Hollow.  This 
does  not  seem  a  very 
appropriate  name  for  a 

beautiful  place.  The  name  comes  from  the  wagonloads  of  buffalo 
bones  found  there  by  the  early  settlers.  Many  Indian  arrow- 
heads and  axes  have  also  been  found.  It  is  said  that  the  Indians 
used  this  ravine  as  a  trap  for  the  buffalo.  Perhaps  when  you 
see  it  you  can  understand  this.  The  citizens  of  this  part  of  the 
state  contributed  Si 0,000  toward  its  purchase,  and  the  state 


Fig.  96.  You  will  enjoy  exploring  "The  Stair- 
way" at  the  Devil's  Backbone,  the  State  Park 
in  Delaware  County.  A  joint  or  vertical  crack 
in  the  limestone  has  been  weathered  or  worn 
out  by  the  frost,  wind,  and  rain  until  it  is 
the  size  and  shape  you  sec  here 


138  IOWA  STATE  Gr:OGRAPHY 

paid  the  remainder  of  the  $38,000  which  it  cost.  Why 
should  any  part  of  the  state  wish  to  have  a  state  park  in  its 
neighborhood  ? 

Half  a  mile  south  of  Farmington,  in  Van  Buren  County,  is 
another  of  the  state  parks.  The  local  citizens  bought  and  pre- 
sented this  park  to  the  state  of  Iowa.  In  the  park  is  a  lake 
which  is  two  thirds  covered  by  a  gorgeous  field  of  lotus.  No- 
where else  in  the  state  is  there  so  large  a  bed  of  these  beautiful 
creamy-white  flowers.  It  is  thought  this  species  may  have 
been  planted  here  by  the  Indians,  who  used  the  tubers  for  food. 
The  place  is  also  interesting  because  it  was  settled  in  the  very 
early  days  of  Iowa's  history.  Farmington  was  one  of  the  first 
places  to  be  reached  by  a  steamboat  on  the  Des  Moines  River. 

Van  Buren  County  has  another  state  park  near  Keosauqua. 
This  is  a  large  park  extending  from  the  town,  along  the  south 
bank  of  the  Des  Moines  River,  about  two  miles  upstream.  It 
is  hoped  that  many  species  of  native  wild  animals  may  find  a 
refuge  there.  The  farmers  in  the  neighborhood  have  promised 
to  protect  the  wild  life.  In  this  park  you  will  find  the  ruffed 
grouse  and  the  quail,  and  the  cardinal  (seldom  seen  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  state).  The  river  may  be  crossed  here  at 
Ely's  ford,  which  was  a  famous  crossing  place  .before  the  days 
of  the  railroad.  Most  of  the  trees  are  second  growth,  but  a  few 
primeval  trees  may  be  found  in  these  woods.  What  are 
primeval  trees  ?  What  are  second-growth  trees  ?  How  can  you 
tell  one  from  the  other? 

There  is  a  tiny  state  park  in  Hardin  County,  three  miles 
north  of  Union.  This  is  known  as  Lepley  Park.  What  high- 
way runs  close  to  the  place  (see  pages  116  and  117)?  This  park 
is  said  to  have  in  it  nearly  every  tree  which  is  native  to  Iowa. 
How  many  trees  can  you  recognize  and  name  ?  Near  Oakland, 
in  Pottawattamie  County,  a  local  Chautauqua  association  has 
given  a  small  park  to  the  state  on  condition  that  the  state  will 
add  to  it.  This  is  a  roadside  park  of  great  beauty.  In  Henry 
County,  near  Oakland  Mills  on  the  Skunk  River,  is  another 
small  park.  Roosevelt  Park  in  Floyd  County,  three  miles  north 
of  Greene,  has  been  presented  to  the  state  by  an  individual. 


BIRTHRIGHT  OF  CHILDREN  OF  IOWA       139 


Look  at  the  picture  (Fig.  97)  of  Wild  Cat  Den,  in  Muscatine 
County,  eight  miles  northeast  of  Muscatine.  These  sixty  acres 
were  given  to  the  state  by  two  sisters.  The  state  and  the  local 
citizens  will  buy  three  hundred  additional  acres,  thus  making 
another  large  and  beauti- 
ful park.  The  little  creek 
is  called  Pine  Creek. 
Classes  from  The  Uni- 
versity of  Chicago  and 
the  University  of  Iowa 
come  here  to  study  bot- 
any. Perhaps  some  of 
you  can  study  a  little 
botany  in  this  park.  In 
the  glen  there  are  some 
white-pine  trees  a  hun- 
dred and  fifty  years  old. 
How  many  needles  are 
there  in  a  bunch  on  the 
white  pine?  Its  scientific 
name   is   pinus   strobiis. 

These  are  the  parks 
which  have  been  organ- 
ized, according  to  the 
report  published  by  the 
State  Board.  Now  that 
the  people  have  become 
interested  in  the  conser- 
vation of  Iowa's  beauty  spots,  the  State  Board  of  Conservation 
is  being  overwhelmed  by  requests  to  establish  additional  parks. 
Many  of  these  places  have  been  examined,  and  no  doubt  some 
of  them  will  be  made  into  parks  very  soon. 

The  northeastern  part  of  the  state  has  been  called  the 
''Switzerland  of  Iowa."  Switzerland  has  been  called  the  ''play- 
ground of  Europe,"  so  a  part  of  this  region  might  well  be  made 
the  playground  of  Iowa.  We  have  already  said  that  this  is  the 
part  of  the  state  which  first  rose  out  of  the  ocean  and  that 


Fig.  97.  This  cliff  of  sandstone  is  in  Wild  Cat 
Den,  one  of  the  state  parks.  Where  is  this 
park  ?  Can  you  see  the  layers  or  strata  in 
the  rock  ?  What  do  they  tell  you  of  the  place 
where   this   rock   was  formed  ? 


140 


IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 


the  edge  of  the  ice  which  came  in  here  was  thin  and  made  little 
change  in  the  surface ;  so  you  can  see  that  weather  and  the 
rivers  have  had  long  ages  to  carve  it  into  fantastic  and  wonder- 
ful shapes. 

There  are  so  many  charming  spots  in  this  area  that  it  will 
be  hard  to  choose  among  them,  but  surely  one  on  which  we 


— —   "^1 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^HH|||B'>^^|f!^V^j< 

p^  •  n 

Fig.  98.  You  are  looking  north  from  the  City  Park  at  Decorah  upon  one  of  Iowa's 
beauty  spots.    The  river  is  the  Upper  Iowa.    Which  way  does  it  flow  ? 

shall  all  agree  is  that  section  around  Decorah  (Fig.  98).  In 
this  region  is  a  wonderful  ice  cave.  Mr.  Lees,  the  Assistant 
State  Geologist,  says  of  this  cave : 

This  is  a  great  gap  left  in  the  rock  by  the  slipping  out  of  a 
block  of  stone  along  the  cliff  face.  The  limestones  of  the  region  are 
honeycombed  with  fissures  and  into  these  the  cold  air  of  winter  is 
drawn,  to  be  forced  out  during  the  warm  days  of  spring  and  summer. 
This,  coming  into  contact  with  the  moisture-laden  warm  air  of  the 
cave,  causes  the  precipitation  of  the  moisture  along  the  inner  walls  of 
the  cave.  This  forms  during  the  early  summer  months  a  coating  of 
ice  which  sometimes  becomes  ten  or  twelve  inches  thick. 


BIRTHRIGHT  OF  CHILDREN  OF  IOWA       141 


What  is  meant  by  precipitation  ?  The  cold  air  of  winter 
works  into  the  cracks  far  back  of  the  cave  and  does  not  work 
out  to  the  cave  again  for  months. 

The  Upper  Iowa  or  Oneota  River  is  so  beautiful  that  you 
will  want  to  follow  it  for  miles.  There  used  to  be  famous  trout 
fishing  in  this  river.  Why 


must  we  now  content  our- 
selves with  simply  look- 
ing at  the  trout?  It  is 
hard  to  decide  which  is 
the  more  beautiful  sea- 
son here — summer  with 
its  quiet  greens  or  au- 
tumn with  its  brilliant 
colors.  This  is  an  ideal 
place  for  a  camping  week. 
One  other  very  attrac- 
tive part  of  this  driftless 
section  of  northeastern 
Iowa  you  should  see. 
That  is  the  country 
around  ]\IcGregor,  which 
so  many  people  wish  to 
have  made  a  portion  of 
a  national  park.  See 
the  beautiful  picture, 
Fig.  99.  The  Pictured 
Rocks  will  interest  you 
especially.  These  are  part  of  a  great  cliff  of  very  crumbly  sand- 
stone, stained  in  reds,  yellows,  browns,  and  even  purples  by  the 
iron  in  the  rock.  In  some  places  the  sandstone  is  pure,  glisten- 
ing white.  Would  this  rock  be  useful  for  building  purposes? 
As  you  wander  about  you  will  find  little  nooks  and  grot- 
toes filled  with  beautiful  shrubs  and  ferns.  Looking  across 
the  river  to  the  Wisconsin  side  you  can  see  the  mouth  of  the 
Wisconsin  River.  What  noted  men  were  connected  with  the 
early  history  of  this  region? 


Fig.  99.  The  "  Pictured  Rocks  "  near  McGregor 

form  cliffs,  grottoes,  and  nooks  of  marvelous 

colors  and   patterns,  set  off  by   groves  and 

lanes  of  shady  trees 


142 


IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 


We  cannot  name  all  the  attractive  places  in  the  state,  but 
we  must  not  omit  the  lakes.  On  what  drift  sheet  did  we  find 
most  of  the  Iowa  lakes?  Look  at  Fig.  ii  to  make  sure. 
Where  the  edge  of  the  sheet  stood  for  a  long  time  it  often 
dropped  much  material  very  irregularly  and  left  many  hollows. 
This  is  what  happened  near  the  east  side  of  the  Wisconsin 


Fig.  100.    This  is  the  site  of  the  proposed  national  park  near  McGregor.    The 

proposed  park  includes  land  on  both  sides  of  the  Mississippi  River.    When  you 

are  looking  across  from  the  Iowa  shore  what  state  are  you  facing  ?    Can  you 

find  out  where  some  of  our  national  parks  are  situated  ? 


drift  sheet,  and  here  we  find  Clear  Lake.  You  may  judge  from 
the  picture  (Fig.  loi)  that  this  is  the  finest  sort  of  place  to 
spend  a  fortnight's  vacation,  for  it  offers  fine  fishing,  bathing, 
and  boating.  Spirit  Lake  and  Okoboji  Lake  on  the  moraine 
near  the  west  side  of  the  Wisconsin  drift  are  so  beautiful  that 
people  from  as  far  south  as  St.  Louis  have  built  summer  cot- 
tages there.  Is  the  region  around  these  lakes  cooler  than 
St.  Louis?  There  are  people  who  are  anxious  to  drain  many 
of  our  small  lakes  in  order  to  increase  the  amount  of  farm  land. 


BIRTHRIGHT  OF  CHILDREN  OF  IOWA       143 

Which  do  you  think  is  the  greater  need  of  the  people  of  rich 
Iowa,  more  places  for  happy  holidays  or  more  farm  land? 
In  March,  1857,  a  terrible  massacre  occurred  in  the  small 
colony  which  had  settled  near  Pillsbury's  Point  on  West  Oko- 
boji.  A  band  of  Sioux  Indians  attacked  the  little  group  of 
pioneers,  who  were  too  far  away  from  other  settlements  to 


Fig.  ioi.  Clear  Lake  is  another  of  the  places  suggested  for  a  state  park.  It  is  a 
very  pretty  glacial  lake  which  differs  from  other  Iowa  lakes  in  having  no  sur- 
face streams  draining  into  it.  Probably  the  water  which  falls  on  the  hills  to  the 
north  and  to  the  south  of  it  creeps  along  layers  of  sand  and  gravel  to  the  lake  bed 


receive  help,  and  destroyed  the  homes  and  killed  whole  families. 
As  you  wander  about  the  lake  shores  you  will  find  the  Gardner 
home,  where  you  can  learn  more  about  this. 

In  Marion  County  is  a  sandstone  ledge  stained  in  all  shades 
from  tan  to  a  brilliant  red.  This  was  the  work  of  the  iron 
oxides.  The  Des  Moines  River  has  cut  through  this  ledge, 
making  bluffs  from  sixty  to  eighty  feet  in  height.  On  the  ridges 
are  structures  of  the  prehistoric  mound-builders,  and,  scattered 
through  the  region,  trees  of  the  primeval  forest  still  exist. 
There  is  a  high  cliff  in  this  locality  known  as  Red  Rock.  Many 
people  are  asking  to  have  this  area  made  into  a  park. 


144  IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 

After  reading  about  Iowa's  beautiful  scenery  you  are  now 
ready  to  answer  the  question  asked  at  the  beginning  of  this 
section  about  the  schoolboy  who  wrote,  "Tell  me  something 
about  Florida ;  there  is  nothing  interesting  to  write  about 
Iowa." 

Try  to  visit  as  many  of  the  places  we  have  just  described 
as  you  possibly  can.  If  you  are  observing,  you  can  learn  a 
great  deal  more  from  such  a  trip  than  from  merely  reading  a 
description  in  a  book. 

And  Nature,  the  old  nurse,  took 

The  child  upon  her  knee, 
Saying,  "Here  is  a  story-book 

Thy  Father  has  written  for  thee." 


CHAPTER  XI 

FACTS  AND  FIGURES 

Note.  The  information  given  in  the  following  pages  is  not  intended  for 
ordinary  class  study,  but  it  seems  desirable  that  in  a  textbook  of  this  type 
there  should  be  available  for  ready  reference  the  salient  facts  relating  to  where 
our  people  live  and  what  they  do.  A  part  of  this  material  may  properly  serve 
as  a  basis  for  project  work  in  connection  with  the  study  of  local  activities. 
This  little  book  has  stressed  the  fact  that  Iowa  is  first  of  all  a  great  agricultural 
state,  and  it  is  to  be  expected  that  its  manufactures  will  be  very  largely  those 
of  related  industries.  Of  these  only  a  few  of  the  more  important  are  men- 
tioned, in  connection  with  the  larger  towns  and  cities.  The  teacher  desiring 
fuller  information  should  consult  local  commercial  bodies  and  the  state  reports, 
such  as  the  Iowa  Manufacturers'  Director^'. 

Leading  Industries  of  Iowa 

1.  Meat-packing $221,692,000 

2.  Food  preparations 80,583,000 

3.  Butter  and  cheese 49,201,000 

4.  Foundry  and  machine  shop 40,632,000 

5.  Poultry  and  produce-packing 33,425,000 

6.  Printing  and  publishing 22,529,000 

7.  Mill  work,  planing 20,484,000 

8.  Agricultural  implements 19,352,000 

Q.  Flour  and  grist  mills 17,405,000 

10.  Bakery  products 13,449,000 

11.  Electric  light,  heat,  power 11,904,000 

12.  Confectionery:  candy,  ice  cream   ....  11,612,000 

13.  Washing  machines 8,930,000 

14.  Canning  and  preserving 8,599,000 

15.  Brick  and  tile 7,852,000 

The  graph  on  page  25  will  indicate  to  the  pupil  the  over- 
whelming importance  of  the  agricultural  industry  in  Iowa.  The 
tables  reproduced  from  the  Iowa  Year  Book  of  Agriculture, 
entitled  ''  Iowa's  Source  of  Wealth,"  bring  this  point  out  clearly. 

Although  Iowa  is  primarily  agricultural,  yet  it  has  many 
manufactures,  and  in  recent  years  there  has  been  great  growth 

'45 


146  IOWA  STATE  GF.OGRAPHY 

in  this  direction.  It  is  interesting  to  note  how  the  chief  manu- 
factured products  of  the  stale  are  divided.  The  table  on  the 
preceding  page  shows  this  division  for  fifteen  of  the  leading 
industries  for  the  year  ending  December  31,  1919.  While 
these  figures  will  vary  somewhat  from  year  to  year,  yet  they 
are  sufficiently  stable  to  serve  as  a  basis  of  study. 

There  are  many  other  industries  of  very  considerable  note. 
Thus,  Iowa  is  the  second  state  in  the  manufacture  of  pearl  but- 
tons, having  now  an  annual  output  of  about  $4,800,000.  One 
of  the  largest,  if  not  the  largest,  broom  factories  in  the  United 
States  is  at  Burlington.  The  same  is  true  of  its  furniture 
factory.  The  greatest  cream  separator  factory  in  the  United 
States  is  at  Waterloo.  The  largest  cereal  mill  in  the  United 
States  is  at  Cedar  Rapids.  There  probably  are  not  elsewhere 
in  the  United  States  many  equals  of  the  sash-and-door  factory 
at  Dubuque.  Automobile  tires  and  tubes,  cement  products, 
clothing,  patent  medicines,  furniture,  stock  and  poultry  rem- 
edies, wall  plaster,  and  so  forth  total  into  the  millions.  Food 
products  and  all  sorts  of  machinery  used  on  the  farm  are  large 
factors. 

The  Distribution  of  Factories 

Unlike  many  states,  the  factories  of  Iowa  are  not  confined 
to  two  or  three  of  the  larger  cities.  The  larger  factories  are 
well  distributed  throughout  the  state,  and  practically  all  towns 
have  some  industries  worth  while.  There  are  ten  counties 
which  in  1920  had  a  total  production  of  over  $500,000,000 
worth  of  manufactured  goods.  Woodbury  leads  all  the  counties 
in  value  of  manufactured  products,  totaling  over  $145,000,000, 
because  of  its  great  slaughtering  and  packing  industry. 
Linn  County  comes  next  with  nearly  $97,000,000,  of  which 
cereal  products  are  an  important  part.  Polk  County  is  third  on 
the  list,  with  a  great  variety  of  industries,  in  which  the  print- 
ing and  publishing  item — including  the  output  of  the  farm 
journals — stands  out  noticeably.  In  nearly  all  cases  there  is 
considerable  diversity  covering  many  small  industries,  although 


FACTS  AND  FIGURES  147 

often  some  one  industry  may  particularly  lead.  Thus,  in  Scott 
County,  where  there  are  many  industries,  the  foundry  produc- 
tion is  relatively  important.  Black  Hawk  County  is  noted  for 
the  production  of  various  forms  of  dairy  machinery  and  for  the 
variety  and  value  of  its  output  of  engines,  tractors,  and  farm 
machinery.  In  Wapello  County  one's  attention  is  called  to  the 
value  of  its  slaughtering  and  packing  industry.  In  Cerro  Gordo 
County  cement,  brick,  and  tile  stand  out  prominently ;  in 
Clinton  County  food  products  and  dressed  lumber ;  in  Dubuque 
County  sash-and-door  and  foundry  products;  in  Webster 
County  gypsum  and  plaster ;  in  Lee  County  mill  and  machine 
work ;  in  Marshall  County  vehicles  and  food  preparations ;  in 
Muscatine  County  the  pearl-button  industry  (a  recent  state 
report  shows  twenty-four  different  companies  engaged  in  this 
business  in  the  city  of  Muscatine  alone).  There  are  a  number 
of  the  most  important  products,  however — such  as  creamery 
products,  canned  goods,  bakery  products,  confectionery,  etc. — 
in  which  the  distribution  is  so  general  that  it  is  rather  mislead- 
ing to  attempt  to  localize. 

The  outstanding  facts  are  that  Iowa  has  no  great  manu- 
facturing centers  but  has  a  diversity  of  lesser  industries  well 
distributed  throughout  its  entire  area,  and  that  these  industries 
are  very  largely  those  that  are  closely  related  to  the  one  great 
basic  industry,  agriculture.  It  means  much  for  the  health 
and  happiness  of  the  people  of  Iowa  that  these  conditions 
prevail. 

Some  Things  the  People  in  Our  Towns  Make 

The  following  list,  limited  to  the  places  of  over  five  thousand 
population,  mentions  a  few  of  the  leading  industries  in  each. 
Complete  information  can  be  obtained  from  the  State  Directory 
of  Manufacturing  Establishments : 

Ames;  Garden  tools;  canned  goods;  bakery  products;  creamery- 
products  ;  novelties. 

Atlantic  :  Brick  and  tile ;  canned  goods ;  packing  of  poultry  and 
eggs  ;  creamery  products  ;  building  novelties. 


148 


IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 


Boone  :  Brick  and  tile ;  creamery  products ;  foundry  work ;  gloves 

and  hosiery ;  saddlery. 
Burlington :  I'urniture ;    brooms ;    printing    and    binding ;    bakery 

products  ;  boxes  and  baskets  ;  boats  and  engines  ;  iron  products ; 

mill  work  ;  desks  ;  machinery. 
Cedar  Falls  :  Steel  farm  gates  ;  canned  goods  ;  creamery  products  ; 

hardware  specialties;  clothing. 


Fig.  102.    The  machines  you  see  in  this  picture  are  seamless  knitting  machines  in 

a  hosiery  mill  in  Des  Moines.  Can  you  give  reasons  why  a  hosiery  factory  should 

be  located  in  Iowa  ? 

Cedar  Rapids  :  Cereal  foods  ;  corn  sirup  ;  leather  and  tanning  ;  sheet- 
iron  work  ;  planing-mill  work  ;  pumps  ;  tractors  ;  slaughtering  and 
packing ;  structural  iron  work ;  printing  and  binding. 

Centerville  :  Brick ;  granite  and  marble  products  ;  bakery  products  ; 
machine  work. 

Chariton  :  Saddlery  ;  brooms  ;  farm  machinery  ;  wagons. 

Charles  City:  Tanks;  gas  engines;  office  fixtures;  mill  work; 
creamery  products. 

Clinton :  Corn  products ;  wire  products ;  furniture ;  engines ; 
bridge  and  structural  iron  work ;  lumber ;  mill  work ;  hardware 


FACTS  AND  FIGURES  149 

specialties ;  sheet-iron  products ;  sugar  refining ;  garments ; 
button  blanks. 

Council  Bluffs  :  Cold  storage  ;  agricultural  implements  ;  playground 
appliances  ;  tents  and  awnings  ;  elevators  and  scales  ;  stock  foods 
and  remedies. 

Creston:  Poultry-packing;  brick  and  tile;  planing-mill  products; 
concrete  blocks. 

Davenport :  Locomotives  ;  silos  ;  pumps  ;  washing  machines  ;  brick 
and  tile ;  ladders ;  steel  wagons ;  foundry  products ;  bakery 
products  ;  printing  and  binding  ;  planing-mill  products  ;  saddlery  ; 
garments. 

Des  Moines :  Printing  and  binding ;  lithographing ;  automobile 
tires  ;  structural  iron  work  ;  medicines  ;  furnaces  ;  brick  and  tile ; 
concrete  machiner>^ ;  hosiery  and  gloves  ;  silos  ;  chemical  prepara- 
tions ;  furniture ;  meat-packing ;  threshers  and  tractors ;  canned 
goods;  farm  equipment. 

Dubuque  :  Sash  and  doors  ;  milling  machines  ;  stove  repairs  ;  shoes  ; 
canvas  goods  ;  plumbing  goods ;  lime ;  saddlery  ;  caskets  ;  sheet- 
metal  products ;  boilers  and  tanks ;  pork-packing ;  lumber 
products. 

Fairfield :  Cement  blocks ;  engines ;  gloves ;  rugs  and  carpets ; 
barn  equipment. 

Fort  Dodge  :  Gypsum  ;  plaster ;  brick  and  tile  ;  meat-packing  ; 
ditching  machines  ;  patent  medicines  ;  shoes  ;  creamery  products. 

Fort  Madison :  Farm  tools ;  car  repairs ;  strawboard ;  button 
blanks ;  dental  specialties ;  bakery  and  creamery  products ; 
canning. 

Grinnell :  Gloves  ;  vehicles  ;  tools  ;  canning  ;  brick  and  tile  ;  wash- 
ing machines. 

Iowa  City  :  Chemical  products ;  jewelry ;  canning ;  foundry  prod- 
ucts ;  rubber  goods ;  stock  foods  and  remedies ;  brooms. 

Keokuk  :  Electric  power  ;  cement  machinery  ;  hardware  specialties  ; 
kitchen  cabinets ;  button  blanks ;  men's  clothing ;  shoes ;  corn 
products ;  trucks  and  tires ;  silos  and  mill  work ;  canvas  prod- 
ucts ;  brick  and  tile. 

Le  Mars  :  Stock  remedies ;  creamery  products ;  well  machinery  ; 
cement  products  ;  bakery  products. 

Marshalltown :  Machine  work ;  foundr\'  products ;  metal  special- 
ties ;  vehicles ;  creamery  products ;  brick  and  tile ;  food  prepara- 
tions; tools. 


I50 


IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 


Mason  City  :  Hrick  and  tile  ;  cement  ;  packing  of  meat  and  poultry  ; 
machine  work  ;  beet  sugar  ;  mill  work  ;  structural  iron  work. 

Muscatine  :  Pearl  button?  ;  button  machinery  ;  garments ;  lumber- 
mill  work ;  boilers  and  sheet-iron  work ;  canning  machinery ; 
bakery  products  ;  canned  goods. 

Newton :  Washing  machines ;  gas  plants ;  foundry  and  machine 
work ;  advertising  novelties ;  ditching  machinery ;  agricultural 
machinery  ;  office  fixtures. 

Oelwein  :  Car  repairs ;  creamery  products  ;  cooking  utensils  ;  sash, 
doors,  and  mill  work ;  bakery  products. 


Fig.  103.   The  Sioux  City  stockyards  cover  a  large  area.    Wfiy  is  Sioux  City  such 
an  important  meat-packing  center  ? 


Oskaloosa  :  Men's  clothing  ;  silos  and  tanks ;  canned  goods ;  heaters 
and  furnaces  ;  paving  brick  ;  bakery  products  ;  cement  products. 

Ottumwa  :  Mining  appliances  ;  meat-packing  ;  vehicles ;  farm  ma- 
chinery ;  dairy  products ;  brick  and  tile ;  boilers  and  tanks ; 
gasoline  engines  ;  steel  bridges  ;  cold  storage  ;  hardware  specialties. 

Perry :  Washing  machines  ;  lumber-mill  work ;  condensed  milk ; 
cement  products. 

Red   Oak :  Calendars ;    canning ;    dairy   products ;    iron   work. 

Shenandoah  :  Stock  remedies  ;  brick  and  tile  ;  gloves  ;  corn  buskers. 

Sioux  City  :  Slaughtering  and  meat-packing  ,  soap  ;  leather  goods 
and  tanning  ;  electrical  appliances ;  tents  and  awnings ;  foundry 
work  ;  furnaces  ;  engines  ;  wire  and  iron  products  ;  woodwork  ; 
newspaper  plates  ;  clothing  ;  bakery  products  ;  farm  specialties  ; 
flour  and  feed. 


FACTS  AND  FIGURES 


151 


Waterloo :     Cream  separators  ;  dairy  machinery  ;  gasoline  engines ; 

farm  implements ;  gas  machines ;  tractors ;  packing  of  meat  and 

poultry  ;  flour  ;  bakery  products  ;  saddlery  ;  concrete  machinery  ; 

skirts  and  garments ;    motor  trucks ;    cooking  utensils ;   pottery 

novelties. 
Webster  City  :  Sheet-iron  products  ;  sewer  pipes  ;  shoes ;  brick  and 

tile ;  creamery  products. 

Iowa  Primarily  Agricultural 

Following  is  a  tabulated  crop  summary  for  the  year  ending 
December  31,  191 9,  and  a  table  showing  the  number,  average 
value,  and  total  value  of  the  live  stock  for  the  same  year. 
These  two  tables  reveal  the  chief  sources  of  the  wealth  of  the 
state.  Iowa  produces  about  one  tenth  of  the  total  supply  of 
food  derived  from  grain  and  animals  in  the  United  States. 

IOWA'S  SOURCE  OF  WEALTH,  DECEMBER  31,  1919 

Compiled  for  the  Iowa  Year  Book  of  Agriculture  from  estimates  furnished  by 
the  Iowa  Cooperative  Crop- Reporting  Service 


Crop 


Corn 

Oats 

Spring  wheat    .... 

Winter  wheat  .... 

Barley 

Rye 

Fla.xseed 

Timothy  seed  .... 

Clover  seed      .... 

Potatoes 

Hay  (tame) 

Hay  (wild) 

Alfalfa 

Pasturage  and  grazing 
(estimated)    .    .     .    . 

Ensilage  (estimated)     . 

.Sweet  corn  (commer- 
cial crop)  

Pop  corn  (estimated)  . 


Acres 

-Average 
Yield 

10,000,000 

41.6  bu. 

5,670,000 

34.6  bu. 

750,000 

9.5  bu. 

950,000 

17.4  bu. 

315,000 

25.5  bu. 

70,000 

15.9  bu. 

1 6,000 

9.5  bu. 

200,000 

4.5  bu. 

60,000 

1.4  bu. 

I  I  5,000 

43.0  bu. 

2,992,000 

1.6  tons 

478,000 

1.3  tons 

148,000 

3.2  tons 

40,000 

3.0  tons 

29,300 

24.9  bu. 

Average 
Price 


§1.17 

.64 

1.89 

1.98 

I.I  I 

1-33 
3-90 
4.91 
24.92 
1.94 

18.37 
16.48 
23.09 


'3-5° 
2,79 


Total  Yield 


416,622,000 

196,391.500 

7,145,300 

16,508,600 

8,022,800 

1,1  10,050 

•52.275 

900,000 

84,000 

4.942,110 

4.957.370 

631,693 

477,3'4 


1 20,000 
729.570 


Total  Valie 


$487,447,740 

125,690,560 

13,504,617 

32,687,028 

8,905,308 

1,476,366 

593,872 

4,419,000 

2,093,280 

9,587.693 

91,066.887 

10,410,301 

1 1,021,180 

100,000,000 
20.000,000 

1 ,620,000 
2,765,070 


152 


IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 


IOWA'S  SOURCE  OF  WEALTH  {Continued) 


Crop 


Buckwheat  (estimated) 
Fruit  crop   (estimated) 
Garden      truck      (esti- 
mated)   

Sugar  beets  for  manu- 
facture (estimated)    . 
Miscellaneous         (esti- 
mated)   


7,000 


8,000 


Average 
Yield 


14.0  bu. 


8.0  tons 


Average 
Price 


1.95 


9.00 


Total  Yield 


98,000 


64,000 


Total 

Dairy  products  (estimated) 
Poultry  and  eggs  (estimated) 
Wool,  4,500,000  at  551^    .     .     . 

Total  value  of  farm  products 


Total  Value 


$191,100 
7,000,000 

8,000,000 

576,000 

1 1 ,000,000 


$950,056,002 

113,000,000 

85,000,000 

2,475,000 


>I, 150, 531,002 


NUMBER,  AVERAGE  VALUE  AND  TOTAL  VALUE  OF  LIVE 
STOCK,  DECEMBER  31,  1919 

Figures  taken  from  estimates  made  by  the  United  States  Department  of 

Aerriculture 


Number 

Average  Value 

Total  Value 

Horses 

Mules 

1,505,000 
7 1 ,000 
1,363,000 
2,775,000 
10,389,000 
1,321,000 

$89.00 
12  1.00 
88.00 
49.00 
21.80 
12.00 

$i33'945.ooo 

8,591,000 

119,944,000 

i35'975'Ooo 

226,480,200 

15,852,000 

Milch  cows 

Other  cattle 

Sheep     

Total  value  of  live  stock 

$640,787,200 

Total  value  of  farm  products  and  liv 

e  stock     

$1,791,318,202 

In  connection  with  the  horse  figures  in  this  table  it  is  inter- 
esting to  note  that,  according  to  the  lovi^a  Year  Book,  Iowa 
exported  more  horses  during  the  World  War  than  any  other 
state,  and  that  it  has  more  Percheron  horses  than  France,  more 
Clydesdales  than  Scotland,  more  Shires  than  England,  and 
more  Belgian  horses  than  Belgium. 


FACTS  AND  FIGURES  153 

The  aggregate  farm  values  of  the  state  of  Iowa  are  greater 
than  the  total  farm  values  of  these  nineteen  states :  Maine, 
New  Hampshire,  \'ermont,  Connecticut,  Massachusetts,  Rhode 
Island,  Delaware,  New  Jersey,  IVIaryland,  West  Virginia,  South 
Carolina,  Florida,  Alabama,  New  Mexico,  Utah,  Arizona, 
Nevada,  Wyoming,  and  ]\Iontana. 

The  annual  corn  crop  of  Iowa  exceeds  in  value  the  total 
annual  gold  output  of  the  United  States.  Even  the  egg  crop  of 
Iowa  is  more  valuable  than  the  total  orange  crop  of  California. 

Types  and  Breeds  of  Animals 

It  is  plain  that  the  live-stock  industry  is  of  such  overwhelm- 
ing importance  in  Iowa  that  it  pays  for  stock-raisers  to  produce 
the  best  of  types  and  breeds.  It  is  a  good  sign  that  in  so  many 
communities  the  boys  and  girls  are  active  in  live-stock  clubs. 
It  is  an  interesting  and  profitable  study  to  learn  of  the  qualities 
of  various  breeds  of  animals  and  why  certain  types  and  breeds 
are  preferred.  Your  study  will  lead  you  to  discover  that  ani- 
mals vary  almost  as  much  as  human  beings  in  their  attributes, 
and  that  many  factors  must  be  kept  in  mind  in  determin- 
ing what  animals  are  most  profitable  to  raise  under  given 
conditions. 

HOGS 

You  have  already  learned  how  important  an  element  in  the 
wealth  of  Iowa  is  the  hog.  Attention  has  been  called  in  the 
text  to  the  general  types — the  lard  hog  and  the  bacon  hog. 
You  will  have  learned  why  the  former  type  is  more  com- 
mon in  Iowa.  The  lard  hog  is  broad  of  back,  has  large  hams, 
short  legs,  fattens  rapidly,  and  matures  early.  It  is  called  the 
lard  type  because  of  the  abundance  of  fat.  Hogs  of  this  type 
are  relatively  quiet  and  docile.  Some  of  the  more  common 
breeds  are  the  Poland  China,  the  Duroc-Jersey,  the  Berkshire, 
the  Chester  White,  and  the  Hampshire.  The  Mule-Foot  hog,  so 
called  because  the  hoof  is  not  split,  is  an  interesting  breed  of 
the  lard  type.  It  is  claimed  by  some  that  this  breed  is  remark- 
ably free  from  cholera. 


154 


IOWA  SFATK  (UROGRAPHY 


The  bacon  type  of  hog  lacks  the  broad  back  of  the  lard  hog. 
It  has  longer  sides,  smaller  hams,  and  does  not  grow  so  large. 
In  general  this  type  is  longer  and  leaner  and  more  active  than 
the  lard  type.  Bacon  hogs  grown  under  corn-belt  conditions 
gradually  change  their  characteristics.    In  Iowa  more  attention 


Fig.  104.     Prize  winner?  ul  itirtc  breeds  of  cattle  in  llic  Buy?'  and  Girls'  Baby-Beef 

Contest  of  1920.    What  breeds  are  these  ?    The  education  of  the  boys  and  girls 

of  Iowa  is  not  limited  to  the  schoolroom 


than  formerly  is  given  to  their  breeding,  as  there  is  an  increas- 
ing demand  for  the  best  bacon.  The  Large  Yorkshire  and  the' 
Tamworth  are  popular  breeds  of  this  type. 


CATTLE 

In  a  region  so  rich  in  corn  and  grass,  cattle-raising  is  natur- 
ally a  leading  industry.  There  are  two  general  types  of  cattle : 
beef  and  dairy.  Among  the  most  common  of  beef  types  are 
the  Shorthorn,  Hereford,  Aberdeen-Angus,  Galloway,  Polled 
Durham,  and  Polled  Shorthorn.  Of  the  dairy  type  the  Guern- 
sey, the  Jersey,  and  the  Holstein  are  most  numerous. 


FACTS  AND  FIGURES  155 

HORSES 

The  raising  of  draft  horses  has  long  been  a  large  industry 
in  Iowa.  Weight  is  an  essential  factor  in  determining  the 
relative  value  of  draft  horses.  Buyers  often  ship  carload  lots 
of  Iowa  horses  to  points  nearer  the  Eastern  markets,  where  the 
horses  are  scientifically  fed  with  a  view  of  bringing  them  to 
maximum  weight. 

Among  the  most  popular  breeds  are  the  Perchercn,  whose 
home  is  France ;  the  Clydesdale,  from  Scotland ;  the  Belgian, 
from  Belgium  ;  and  the  Shire,  from  England. 

SHEEP 

It  was  explained  earlier  in  the  text  that  Iowa  is  not  of  prime 
importance  as  a  sheep-raising  state.  The  leading  sheep-raising 
states  ranked  in  the  following  order  in  a  recent  year  :  Wyoming, 
IMontana,  New  Mexico,  Idaho,  Ohio,  California,  and  Oregon. 

There  are  two  types  of  sheep :  the  wool  type  and  the  mutton 
type.  There  are  two  types  of  the  latter :  the  long-wooled  and 
the  medium-wooled.  One  of  the  chief  breeds,  noted  for  the 
fineness  of  the  wool,  is  the  INIerino.  Some  of  the  most  com- 
mon breeds  of  the  mutton  type  are  the  Shropshire,  South- 
down, Suffolk,  Cotswold,  Lincoln,  and  Hampshire  Down. 

Your  school  library  probably  contains  Plumb's  "Types  and 
Breeds  of  Farm  Animals,"  or  similar  books.  Consult  these  and 
learn  for  yourself  how  breeds  differ.  \'arious  breeds  have 
distinctive  qualities  that  lead  to  their  selection  by  the  breeder 
(Fig.  104).  There  is  no  more  interesting  or  more  profitable 
study  for  the  boys  and  girls  of  Iowa  than  these  great  sources 
of  wealth. 

Coal 

Attention  has  been  called  in  the  text  to  the  distribution  of 
this  mineral.  While  there  are  factors  that  cause  the  production 
to  vary  somewhat  from  year  to  year,  yet  the  table  .on  the 
following  page,  showing  the  production  in  one  year,  is  to  be 
taken  as  a  safe  guide  to  the  study  of  this  subject. 


156 


IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 

IOWA  COAL  STATISTICS  FOR  1919 


County 


Monroe     . 
Appanoose 
Polk.     .    . 
Marion .    . 
Dallas  .    . 
Lucas    .    . 
Boone  .     . 
Wapello    . 
Jasper  .     . 
Mahaska  . 
Warren     . 
Wayne 
Keokuk 
Adams  .     . 
Taylor  .    . 
Page     .    . 
Van  Buren 
Greene 
Guthrie     . 

Totals   . 


Number 

Total  Production 

Employees 

OF  Mines 

IN   Tons 

22 

1.723.438 

3.195 

69 

1,009,895 

3.247 

20 

897,121 

1,866 

21 

539,198 

1,288 

5 

354.573 

800 

6 

398,859 

680 

6 

146,689 

461 

20 

165,221 

37S 

6 

138,590 

350 

18 

75.418 

181 

2 

70,384 

148 

3 

10,663 

54 

4 

7.1S5 

20 

6 

6,464 

74 

4 

7.490 

42 

2 

7.032 

38 

6 

6,413 

24 

3 

4.976 

20 

- 

2,021 

20 

225 

5.571.630 

12,886 

Other  Minerals 

Although  coal  constitutes  the  chief  mineral  wealth  of  Iowa, 
there  are  some  other  minerals  well  worth  while — such  as 
cement,  gypsum,  clay,  stone,  lime,  etc. 

In  1920  the  shipments  of  Portland  cement  from  Iowa  fac- 
tories totaled  about  $8,676,000  in  value. 

The  value  of  the  gypsum  products  for  the  same  period  was 
$2,403,012 — exceeded  only  by  New  York. 

The  latest  available  figures  show  the  value  of  the  annual 
output  of  clay  products  to  be  about  $7,000,000.  More  than 
$2 ,000,000  worth  of  drain  tile  is  manufactured  annually  in  Iowa. 

The  annual  value  of  the  sand  and  gravel  production  in  Iowa 
for  the, same  period  was  $1,383,764.  The  stone  and  lime  pro- 
duction was  a  much  smaller  item,  the  total  value  being  only 
about  $600,000. 


FACTS  AND  FIGURES  157 

A  Few  Facts  Worth  Remembering 

1.  The  population  of  Iowa  in  1920  was  2,404,021. 

2.  Less  than  half  the  people  of  Iowa  live  in  towns  and  cities. 

3.  The  school  enrollment  in  Iowa  in  1920  was  547,272. 

4.  Iowa  has  the  highest  percentage  of  literacy  of  any  state  in 
the  Union. 

5.  Iowa  has  an  area  of  56,147  square  miles. 

6.  The  highest  altitude  in  Iowa  is  1670  feet,  at  Ocheyedan 
Mound,  Osceola  County. 

7.  The  elevation  of  Des  Moines  is  about  800  feet. 

8.  Iowa  ranks  first  among  the  states  in  the  percentage  of  improved 
land. 

9.  Iowa  is  in  the  center  of  the  corn  belt  and  is  about  midway 
between  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  oceans. 

10.  The  average  annual  rainfall  in  Iowa  is  31.5  inches. 

11.  In  July,  1856,  Iowa  had  only  67  miles  of  railroad. 

12.  Iowa  now  has  14,247  miles  of  railway,  including  338  miles  of 
electric  lines,  and  ranks  fourth  among  the  states  in  total  railway 
mileage. 

13.  In  a  recent  year  the  railroads  paid  the  state  of  Iowa  in  taxes 
$4,790,864. 

14.  The  first  territorial  legislature  of  Iowa  met  in  BurHngton 
in  1838. 

15.  Iowa  City  was  the  capital  of  Iowa  from  1839  to  1857. 

16.  Des  Moines  became  the  capital  of  Iowa  in  1857. 

17.  The  State  University  of  Iowa  was  established  at  Iowa  City 
in  1847. 

18.  Armistice  Day  (November  11)  was  made  a  legal  holiday  in 
Iowa  in  1921. 


158 


IOWA  STATK  GEOGRAPHY 


INCORPORATED  PLACES  IN  lOVVA  HAVING  A  POPULATION 
OF  1000  OR  OVER  — CENSUS  OF  1920 


Ackley 

Adel 

Akron        

Albia 

Algona      .......  3 

Alta I 

Alton I 

Ames 6 

Anamosa 2 

Anita i 

Atlantic 5 

Audubon    2 

Avoca I 

Bedford 2 

Belle   Plaine 3 

Bellevue i 

Belmond i 

Bettendorf 2 

Bloomtield 2 

Boone 12 

Brighton i 

Britt I 

Brooklyn i 

Burlington 24 

Calmar i 

Carroll 4 

Cascade     , i 

Cedar  Falls 6 

Cedar   Rapids 45 

Centerville 8 

Chariton 5 

Charles  City •  7 

Cherokee 5 

Cincinnati i. 

Clarinda 4, 

Clarion 2, 

Clarksville      .   ■ i. 

Clear  Lake .2. 

Clinton 24, 


.529 
455 
.324 
,067 

J24 

.2Q0 
,007 
,270 
,881 
,236 

,329 
,108 
,482 

.073 
.S87 

,663 

,797 
,178 
,064 

.451 
,614 
,619 
,533 
,057 
,039 
,254 
,249 
,316 
,566 
,486 
,175 
,350 
,824 
,301 

.511 
,826 
,003 
,804 
151 


Colfa.x  .... 
Coon  Rapids  . 
Corning  .     . 

Correctionville  . 
Corydon  .  .  . 
Council  Bluffs  . 
Cresco  .... 
Creston  .  .  . 
Davenport  .  . 
Decorah  .  .  . 
Denison  .  .  . 
Des  Moines  .  . 
Dewitt  .  .  . 
Dows  .... 
Dubuque  .  .  . 
Dunlap  .  .  . 
Dyersville 
Eagle  Grove 
Eldon  .... 
Eldora  .... 
Elkader  .  .  . 
Emmetsburg  . 
Estherville  .  . 
Fairfield  .  .  . 
Farmington  . 
Fayette  .  .  . 
Fonda  .... 
Forest  City  .  . 
Fort  Des  Moines 
Fort  Dodge  .  . 
Fort  Madison  . 
Garner  .  .  . 
Glenwood  .  . 
Grand  Junction 
Greene  .... 
Greenfield 
Grinnell  .  .  . 
Griswold  .  .  . 
Grundy  Center  . 


2,504 
1,328 
1,840 
1,016 
1,867 
36,162 

3.195 
8,034 

56,727 
4,039 
3,581 
[26,468 
1,849 
1,145 

39,141 
1,455 
1,933 
4,433 
2,091 
3,189 
1,223 
2,762 

4,699 
5,948 
1,086 
1,085 
1,136 
2,14s 
1,020 

19,347 
12,066 

1,311 
3,862 
1,010 

1,375 
1,707 
5,362 
1,264 
1,749 


FACTS  AND  FIGURES 


159 


Guthrie  Center 1,727 

Guttenberg 1,666 

Hamburg 2,017 

Hampton 2,gg2 

Harlan 2,831 

Hartley 1.306 

Hawarden 2.491 

Holstein 1,248 

Humboldt 2.232 

Humeston 1.2 14 

Ida    Grove 2.020 

Independence     3.672 

Indianola 3.628 

Iowa    City 11,267 

Iowa   Falls 3,954 

Jefferson         3.4'6 

Jewell i.ogo 

Keokuk 14.423 

Keota 1,025 

Kingsley 1,072 

Knoxville 3,523 

Lake    City 2,110 

Lake  Mills 1,529 

Lamoni 1.787 

Lansing 1-447 

Laporte     City 1-443 

Le  Mars 4-683 

Lehigh i.oqo 

Lenox i,i97 

Leon 2,iQ3 

Logan 1,637 

McGregor 1,289 

Madrid 1,783 

Malvern 1,195 

Manchester 3,111 

Manilla 1.142 

Manly  .     .     '. 1.476 

Manning 1,863 

Manson 1,409 

Mapleton 1.367 

Maquoketa 3.626 

Marcus 1,091 


Marengo 2. 

Marion 4. 

Marshalltown 15, 

Mason  City 20, 

Melcher i, 

Missouri    Valley    .     .     .     .  3, 

Monona i, 

Montezuma i, 

Monticello 2, 

Moulton I, 

Mount  Ayr i, 

Mount    Pleasant      ....  3. 

Mount    Vernon      .     .     .     .  i. 

Muscatine 16, 

INIystic 2. 

Nashua i, 

Nevada 2, 

New  Hampton  .     .     .     .     .  2. 

New   London i, 

New    Sharon i, 

Newton 6 

Nora    Springs i 

Northwood i 

Oakland i 

Odebolt I 

Oelwein 7 

Ogden ^.     .  I 

Onawa       2 

Orange  City i 

Osage 2 

Osceola 2 

Oskaloosa 9 

Ottumwa 23 


Parkersburg 
Pella  .  . 
Perry  .  . 
Pocahontas 
Postville  . 
Red  Oak  . 
Reinbeck  . 
Remsen 
Rockford  . 


048 
138 
731 
065 
582 
985 
049 
273 
257 
387 
738 
987 
466 
,068 
796 
317 
668 

.539 
1I44 
,084 
,627 
,055 
,597 
,188 

•445 
,455 
•451 
,256 
,632 
,878 
,684 
427 
003 
108 
,338 
,642 
,302 
,039 
,578 
.415 
,144 
,031 


i6o 


IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 


Rockingham 1,099 

Rock    Rapitls 2,172 

Rock    Valley io47 

Rockwell  City 2,039 

Rolfe 1,051 

Sac  City 2,630 

Sanborn i,497 

Seymour 1,746 

Sheffield 1,106 

Sheldon 3,488 

Shenandoah 5,255 

Sibley 1,803 

Sidney       i,i54 

Sigourney 2.210 

Sioux    Center 1,389 

Sioux   City 71,227 

Sioux    Rapids 1.080 

Spencer 4,599 

Spirit  Lake 1,701 

Storm     Lake 3,658 

Story   City i,59i 

Strawberry  Point    .     .     .     .  1,101 

Stuart 1,716 

Sumner 1,511 


Tabor 1,186 

Tama    .     -. 2,601 

Tipton 2,142 

Toledo       1,604 

Traer 1,329 

Valley    Junction     ....  3,631 

Villisca 2,111 

Vinton       3,381 

Walnut 1,072 

Wapello 1,480 

Washington 4,697 

Waterloo 36,230 

Waukon 2,359 

Waverly 3,352 

Webster   City 5,657 

West   Burlington    .     .     .     .  1,212 

West   Liberty 1,834 

West  Union i,777 

What  Cheer 1,626 

Williamsburg 1,251 

Wilton 1,178 

Winfield 1,027 

Winterset 2,906 

Vv^oodbine 1,463 


POPULATION  OF  COUNTIES  IN  IOWA— CENSUS  OF  1920 


Adair 14,259 

Adams 10,521 

Allamakee 17,285 

Appanoose 30,535 

Audubon 12,520 

Benton      . 24,080 

Black  Hawk  ...'...  56,570 

Boone 29,892 

Bremer 16,728 

Buchanan       .^ 19,890 

Buena  Vista 18,556 

Butler 17,845 

Calhoun 17,783 

Carroll 21,549 

Cass 19,421 


Cedar 17,560 

Cerro    Gordo 34,675 

Cherokee 17,760 

Chickasaw i5,43i 

Clarke 10,506 

Clay 15,660 

Clayton 25,032 

Clinton .  43,371 

Crawford '  .  20,614 

I)allas 25,120 

Davis 12,574 

Decatur 16,566 

Delaware 18,183 

Des  Moines 35, 520 

Dickinson 10,241 


FACTS  AND  FIGURES 


i6i 


Dubuque 58,262 

Emmet 12,627 

Fayette 29,251 

Floyd 18,860 

Franklin 15,807 

Fremont iS,447 

Greene 16,467 

Grundy 14,420 

Guthrie 17.596 

Hamilton 19,531 

Hancock 14,723 

Hardin 23,337 

Harrison 24,488 

Henry 18,298 

Howard 13,705 

Humboldt 12,951 

Ida 11,689 

Iowa 18,600 

Jackson     19,931 

Jasper 27,855 

Jefferson 16,440 

Johnson 26,462 

Jones 18,607 

Keokuk 20,983 

Kossuth 25,082 

Lee 39,676 

Linn 74,004 

Louisa 12,179 

Lucas    . 15,686 

Lyon .  15,431 

Madison 15,020 

Mahaska 26,270 

Marion       , 24,957 

Marshall 32,630 

Mills 15,422 


Mitchell    .  . 

IMonona     .  . 

Monroe      .  . 
Montgomery 
Muscatine 

O'Brien      .  . 

Osceola      .  . 

Page      .     .  . 

Palo  Alto  . 
Plymouth  . 

Pocahontas  . 

Polk  .  .  . 
Pottawattamie 
Poweshiek 

Ringgold  .  . 
Sac  .... 

Scott     .     .  . 

Shelby   .    .  . 

Sioux    .     .  . 

Story     .     .  . 

Tama    .     .  . 

Taylor .      .  . 

Union    .     .  . 

Van   Buren  . 

Wapello     .  . 

Warren      .  . 

Washington  . 

Wayne .     .  . 

Webster     .  . 

Winrrebago  . 

Winneshiek  . 
Woodbury 

Worth .      .  . 

Wright .     .  . 


13,921 
17,125 

23467 
17,048 
29,042 

19,051 
10,223 

24,137 
15,486 

23.584 
15,602 
[54,029 
61,550 
19,910 
12,919 
17,500 
73,952 
16,065 
26,458 
26,185 
21,861 

15,514 
17,268 
14,060 

37,937 
18,047 
20,421 
15,378 
37,611 
13,489 
22,091 
92,171 
11,630 
20,348 


INDEX 


Agriculture,   Iowa's   greatest   industry, 

52-55,  145,  151,  152.    See  also  Crops 

Alfalfa,  65 ;   acreage,  yield,  and  value 

of  crop  in  1919,  151 
Allison  Monument,  50,  51,  Frontispiece 
Ames,  State  College  of  Agriculture  at, 

92,  130,  133;  leading  industries,  147 
Area  of  Iowa,  2,157 
Arkansas  River,  27 
Armistice  Day,  holiday  in  Iowa,  157 
Atlantic,  leading  industries,  147 
Aurner's  "Iowa  Stories"  quoted,  122 

Barges,  steel,  built  by  United  States 
government  at  Dubuque,  31,  32 

Barley,  65  ;  acreage,  yield,  and  value  of 
crop  in  1919,  151 

Beet,  sugar,  value  of  annual  crop,  66; 
howgrown  and  harvested,  106;  stored 
at  factories,  106;  yield  per  acre,  107 

Black  Hawk  Purchase,  14 

Black  Hawk  War,  14 

Blashfield,  Edwin  H.,  artist,  picture  by, 
in  State  Capitol  ( "  Westward "' ) ,  49, 50 

Blind,  State  School  for,  at  Vinton,  133 

Boone,  leading  industries,  148 

Bowlders,  explained,  iS ;  of  granite,  21 ; 
in  lowan  drift,  22 

Bran,  63 

Brick,  104,105  ;  plant  at  Mason  City,  105 

Brush  College,  oldest  school  in  Iowa, 
126, 129 

Buckwheat,  65;  acreage,  yield,  and 
value  of  crop  in  1019,  151 

Buffaloes,  36;  bones  of,  137 

Burlington,water  supply,  40;  territorial 
legislature  meets  at,  in  1858,45  ;  cross- 
ing place  in  early  days,  112;  broom  fac- 
tory,. 146;  leading  industries,  14S 

Butter,  annual  production  and  value, 
97;  how  made  in  early  days,  07,  98; 
how  made  now,  98,  99;  state  brand 
for  standard,  99 

Buttons,  pearl,  made  from  clam  shells, 
109,  no;  annual  output,  146;  Iowa's 
rank  in  their  manufacture,  146 

Calvin,  Samuel,  geologist,  quoted,  on 
soils,  23 ;  on  picturesque  effects  of 
erosion  and  decay,  136 


Capital,  state,  at  Iowa  City,  45,  46;  at 
Des  Moines,  45,  48,  50  ;  territorial, 
at  Burlington,  45 

Capitol  buildings,  at  Burlington,  45 ;  at 
Iowa  City,  45,  40 ;  at  Des  Moines,  47, 
48,  50;  Blashfield's  "Westward,"  49, 
50;  Soldiers' and  Sailors'  Monument, 
50;  Allison  Monument,  50,  51 

Catfish  Creek,  Dubuque  settled  at 
mouth  of,  12 

Cattle,  71-74,  154;  stockyards,  70,  72; 
beef,  71,  72,  154;  dairy,  71,  96,  154; 
types  and  breeds,  71,  154;  fattening 
for  market,  72  ;  products,  72  ;  slaugh- 
tering and  packing,  72,  74;  number 
and  value  in  1919,  152 

Cedar  Falls,  State  Teachers  College  at, 
i30j  ^33 ;  leading  industries,  148 

Cedar  Rapids,  hydroelectric  plant,  40  ; 
corn-sirup  and  corn-sugar  factories, 
60 ;  cereal  factories,  64,  95, 146 ;  meat- 
packing, 74 ;  leading  industries,  148 

Cedar  River,  113 

Cement,  103,  104;  Portland,  why  made 
in  Iowa,  103,  104;  plants  for  makmg, 
at  Des  Moines  and  Mason  City,  104, 
shipments  in  1920,  156 

Centerville,  gypsum  deposit,  16;  lead- 
ing industries,  148 

Cereal  factories  at  Cedar  Rapids,  64, 
95. 146 

Chariton,  leading  industries,  148 

Charles  City,  leading  industries,  148 

Clam  shells,  how  secured  and  how  used, 
109,  no 

Clay,  hardened  into  shale,  8 ;  layers  of, 
over  coal,  10;  used  in  making  cement, 
brick,  and  tile,  104,  105;  value  of 
products,  156 

Clear  Lake,  142 

Climate,  3,  53-55;  rainfall,  53,  54;  tem- 
perature, 55 

Clinton,  early  lumber  mills,  32  ;  corn- 
sirup  and  corn-sugar  factories,  60; 
leading  industries,  148 

Clubs,  canning,  132,  134;  corn,  134; 
live-stock,  153 

Coal,  fields,  8-1 1 ;  chief  producing  coun- 
ties, 9;  how  to  test  land  for,  11; 
depth  and  extent  of  beds,  11;  early 


'63 


i64 


IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 


menUon  by  Frenchman,  36 ;  statistics 
for  1910,  155,  15^^ 
College  of  Agriculture,  State,  at  Ames, 

93,  130,  133  „       ,       . 

Conservation,  State  Board  ot,  ap- 
pointed by  legislature,  135;  areas 
chosen  for  public  parks,  136-139 

Coral  animals,  s,  7 

Corn,  location  of  state  favorable  to  pro- 
duction, 3 ;  large  yields  on  drained 
land,  S3  ;  Iowa's  most  important  crop, 
56 ;  acreage  compared  with  other 
crops,  56;  value  of  crop  compared 
with  all  Iowa's  crops,  57;  acreage  in 
North  Dakota,  57;  soil  and  climate 
for,  57  ;  Iowa's  rank  in  United  States, 
58;  seed,  58;  average  yield  per  acre, 
58;  planting  and  harvesting,  58,  59; 
disposition  of  crop,  58-60;  labor- 
saving  machinery,  58,  59,  88-90;  in 
silo,  58,  90;  products  of,  60,  61;  fed 
to  hogs,  68;  canning,  102-103;  acre- 
age, yield,  and  value  of  crop  in  1919, 
151 ;  annual  crop  exceeds  annual  gold 
output  of  United  States,  153 

Council  Bluffs,  meeting  of  Lewis  and 
Clark  with  Indians,  35  ;  water  supply, 
38;  railroad  from  Davenport  to, 
planned  in  1852,  122;  State  School 
for  Deaf,  133;  leading  industries,  149 

Counties:  Allamakee,  6,  15,  23,  115; 
Benton,  loi ;  Black  Hawk,  102,  147; 
Buchanan,  50;  Cerro  Gordo,  147; 
Clay,  22;  Clayton,  6,  23;  Clinton, 
147;  Delaware,  136;  Dubuque,  6,  12, 
23,  147  ;  Emmet,  22, 115  ;  Floyd,  138; 
Hardin,  138;  Harrison,  20;  Henry, 
20,138;  Johnson,  45  ;  Jones,  6;  Kos- 
suth, 22;  Lee,  6, 147;  Linn,  120, 146; 
Marion,  11,  143;  Marshall,  147; 
Monona,  20;  Muscatine,  139,  147; 
Osceola,  157;  Palo  Alto,  22,  115; 
Polk,  146 ;  Pottawattamie,  138 ;  Scott, 
6,147;  Tama,4i-44;  Van  Buren,  138; 
Wapello,  147;  Webster,  16,  147; 
Winneshiek,  6,  23,  115;  Woodbury, 
146;  population  of,  160,  161 
County  Board  of  Supervisors,  county 

road  system,  115,  120,  121 
Creameries,  value  of  products,  75;  but- 
ter and  butter-making,  97-99 
Crest  on,  leading  industries,  140 
Crops,  farm,  value  compared  graphi- 
cally with  world  production  of  gold 
and  silver,  25;  value  compared  with 
Iowa's  mineral  and  factory  product, 
52;  corn,  56-61;  chief  crops,  56-64; 


wheat,  61-63;  oats,  64;  alfalfa,  65; 
barley,  65;  buckwheat,  65;  hay,  65; 
vegetables  and  fruits,  66,  67;  sum- 
mary, 151,  152 
Cummins,  A.B.,  quoted,  83,  84 

Dairy,  value  of  products,  75 ;  making 
of  butter,  cheese,  and  condensed 
milk,  third  industry  in  state,  95; 
milk,  96,  97 ;  butter-making,  97-99 

Dairy  and  Food  Commissioner,  State, 
on  dairy  products,  75 ;  on  egg  out- 
put, 77 

Dam,  Keokuk,  power  furnished  by  Des 
Moines  Rapids,  30,  39;  generates 
300,000   horse-power    of    electricity, 

Davenport,  early  lumber  mills,  32 ; 
water  supply,  40 ;  first  railroad,  1856, 
122 ;  leading  industries,  149 

Deaf,  State  School  for,  at  Council 
Bluffs,  133 

Decorah,  scenery  around,  140 

Des  Moines,  first  steamboats  to,  38; 
water  supply,  40 ;  state  capital  moved 
to,  in  1857,  48;  how  it  looked  in 
1850,  48;  manufacturing,  51;  state- 
fair  grounds,  51 ;  cement  plant,  104; 
leading  industries,  149 ;  elevation,  157 

Des  Moines  Rapids,  traversed  by  Lieu- 
tenant Pike,  30;  furnish  power  at 
Keokuk  dam,  30 

Des  Moines  River,  story  of,  36-38; 
"Riviere  des  Moingona,"  36;  steam- 
boats on,  36, 38 ;  commission  directed 
to  locate  new  state  capital  within 
two  miles  of  junction  of  Raccoon 
River  and,  47;  state  parks  on,  136, 
138;  sandstone  bluffs  on,  143 

Dikes  for  Iowa  farm  lands,  53 

Drainage,  rivers,  25-41 ;  in  'Wisconsin 
drift,  22;  in  bottom  lands,  53 

Drift  sheet,  glacial,  1 7-23  ;  Illinoian,  19 ; 
Kansan,  19,  21,  22  ;  Wisconsin,  19,  21, 
22  ;  lowan,  19,  22  ;  lakes  on  Wiscon- 
sin, 22,  142 

Driftless  region,  19,  23,  139-141 

Dubuque,  soldiers  protect  Indian  res- 
ervation, I,  14;  lead  mined  by  Julien 
Dubuque  near  present  site,  12,  13; 
steamboats  from,  31 ;  steel  barges 
built  by  government,  31 ;  lumber 
mills  and  woodworking  factories  at, 
33;  crossing  place  in  early  days,  112, 
113;  railroad  from,  in  1857,  123; 
sash-and-door  factory,  146;  leading 
industries,  149 


INDEX 


165 


Dubuque,  Julien,  arrives  at  Prairie  du 
Chien  in  1785,  12  ;  "  Mines  of  Spain," 
13  ;  death  in  1810, 13 ;  monument,  14 

Education,  in  Iowa,  126-135;  highest 
per  cent  of  literacy,  126;  school  at- 
tendance in  1920,  135;  cost  of  main- 
tenance of  schools  in  1920,  135 

Eggs.   See  Poultry 

Electricity,  generated  by  water-power, 
40,  41 

Ely's  ford,  famous  crossing  place,  138 

Facts  worth  remembering,  157 
Fair  Grounds,  State,  at  Des  Moines,  51 
Fairfield,  leading  industries,  149 
Fairport,  government  station,  no 
Farm  journals  issued  in  Des  Moines,  51 
Farm  values  of  Iowa  compared  with 

other  states,  153 
Farmer,  the  Iowa,  79-94;  "new,"  79, 

91-94;  old-time,  79-84 
Farming,  methods  of  early  settlers,  79- 

84;    modern    methods,    84-94.    See 

Agriculture  and  Crops 
Farmington,  state  park  near,  138 
Farms,  some  of  finest  on  lowan  drift, 

22 ;  average  size,  94 
Ferries,  2  (picture),  in,  112 
Fertilizer,    from    gypsum,    16;    from 

slaughterhouses,  72 ;  from  live  stock, 

75 ;  from  beet-sugar  factories,  108 
Flax,  used  for  hnseed  oil,  65 ;  acreage, 

yield,  and  value  of  crop  in  1919,  151 
Flood  plain  of  Missouri  River,  33,  34 
Flour,  rock,  17,   18,   21:   wheat,  how 

made,  62,  63 
Floyd,    Sergeant    Charles,    first    white 

man  buried  in  Iowa,  35 
Food  products,  manufacture  of,  second 

industry  in  importance,  05 
Fort  Benton,  Montana,stearaboats  to, 35 
Fort  Des  Moines,  38,  47 
Fort   Dodge,   gypsum  mills,    16;    first 

steamboats  to,  38;  state  park  near, 

136 ;  leading  industries,  149 
Fort  Madison,  fort  built  on  site  about 

1808,  30;  leading  industries,  149 
Fossils,    in   limestone,    sandstone,   and 

shale  beds,  7,  8;  bones  of  animals,  20 
Fruit,  66,  67 
Fur-trading  post  on  Des  Moines  River,  36 

Galena  limestone,  it 
Glacial  drift.    See  Drift  sheet 
Gravel  (and  sand),  annual  value,  156 
Greene,  state  park  near,  138 


Grinnell,  leading  industries,  149 
Gypsum,  view  of  mine,  15;  deposits, 
16;  how  mined  and  prepared  for 
use,  16;  value  of  mill  product  near 
Fort  Dodge,  16;  value  of  Iowa's 
total  product  for  1920,  156 

Hay,  acreage  compared  with  that  of 
other  crops,  56,  65 ;  acreage,  yield, 
and  value  of  crop  in  1919,  151 

Highway  Commission,  State,  primary 
road  system,  115-120;  road  numbers 
and  road-number  symbol,  119,  120 

Highways.    See  Roads 

Hogs.   See  Swine 

Horses,  76 ;  exported  during  World  War, 
152  ;  number  and  value  in  1919, 152  ; 
breeds,  155 

Ice-sheet,  how  formed,  1 7 ;  movement 
of,  17-20;  effect  upon  surface  and 
soils,  20-23 

Illinois  River,  27 

Indians,  no  other  inhabitants  in  Iowa  one 
hundred  years  ago,  I ;  lead-mining  and 
Julien  Dubuque,  12, 13  ;  Black  Hawk 
Purchase,  14;  Marquette  and  Joliet 
with,  27;  attacks  on  Fort  Madison, 
30;  help  Zebulon  Pike  cross  rapids, 
30;  Lewis  and  Clark's  council  with 
chiefs,  35  ;  French  traders  and,  36  ;  of 
Tama  County,  41-44;  Sac  and  Fox, 
41,  42;  Musquakies,  42,  44;  wickiup 
and  wigwam,  44 ;  names  from  Tama 
records,  44;  trails,  iii;  arrowheads 
and  axes  found  in  Boneyard  Hollow, 
137;  massacre  at  Pillsbury's  Point  in 
1857,  143 

Inspection  of  stock,  70,  72 

Iowa,  population,  i,  158-161;  meanings 
of  name,  2;  area,  2;  location,  3,  4; 
minerals,  5-16;  soils,  17-24;  rivers, 
25-41;  state  capital,  45-51;  agricul- 
ture and  crops,  52-67;  live-stock  in- 
dustry, 68-78,  152-155;  manufac- 
tures, 95-110;  transportation,  iii- 
125;  schools  and  colleges,  126-135; 
state  parks,  135-144;  leading  indus- 
tries, 145-152 

Iowa  City,  selected  for  state  capital  in 
1839,  45;  early  travel  to,  113;  first 
railroad  to,  completed  in  1856,  122; 
State   University    established   at,   in 

•   1847,  130;  leading  industries,  149 

Iowa  River,  27,  45,  113 

Iron,  14,  15;  deposit  in  Allamakee 
County,  at  Iron  Hill,  15 


i66 


IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 


"Jalap,"  Norman  Pcrcheron,  70,  77 
Jolict,  French  explorer,  expedition  with 
Marquette  on  Mississippi  River,  25-27 

Keokuk,  water  supply,  40;  great  dam 
at,  41 ;  corn-sirup  and  corn-sugar 
factories,  Co;  leading  industries,  149 

Keosauqua,  steamboat  to,  in  1837,  i'^; 
state  park  near,  138 

Kettle  Chief,  Indian  village,  12 

Lakes  on  Wisconsin  drift  sheet,  22,  142 
Lead,   how   deposited,   11;    mined   by 
Indians,  12;  used  for  bullets,  12,  14; 
Dubuque's  "  Mines  of  Spain,"  13, 31 ; 
white,  used  in  paint,  14 
Lees,  James  H.,  Assistant  State  Geol- 
ogist, quoted,  140 
Legislature,   first   territorial,   meets  at 
Burlington     (1838),    45;    meets    at 
Iowa  City  ( 1841 ) ,  46 ;  discusses  mov- 
ing capital,  46,  47 
Le  Mars,  leading  industries,  149 
Lewis  and  Clark  expedition,  34-3S 
Lime  (and  stone),  annual  value,  156 
Limestone,  how  formed,  5;  uses,  5,  6; 
fossils  in,  8;  galena,  11 ;  used  in  mak- 
ing Portland  cement,  103,  104 
Limestone  bluffs  on  Mississippi  River, 

seen  by  Marquette  and  Joliet,  26 
Linseed  oil,  made  from  flax,  65 
Live   stock:    swine,    68-71,    153,    154; 
cattle,  71-74. 154 ;  sheep,  74,  75, 155 ; 
fertilizer  value,  75;  horses,  76,  152, 
155;   poultry,   77,    78;    number  and 
value  of  farm  animals  in  iqig,  152; 
types  and  breeds,  153-155 
Location  of  Iowa,  3,  4 
Loess,  Missouri  River  bluffs  of,  33 
Log  cabin,  how  made,  70,  80 
Logging  on  Mississippi  River,  32 
Lotus,  remarkable  growth  of,  in  state 

park  near  Farmington,  138 
Louisiana  Purchase,  exploration  of  ter- 
ritory by  Zebulon  Pike,   27;   Lewis 
and  Clark's  expedition,  34,  35 
Lumber  mills,  early,  32 

McCormick,  Cyrus  Hall,  inventor  of 
reaper,  86-88;  first  reaper  made  in 
1 83 1,  86,  87;  reaper  and  binder  per- 
fected, 88 

McGregor,  sandstone  beds,  8 ;  scenery 
in  driftless  region  near,  141 

Machinery,  modern,  for  the  farm,  84- 
92  ;  for  the  farmhouse,  92 ;  for  the 
creamery,  98,  99 


Manchester,  state  park  near,  136 

Manufactures,  value  compared  with 
that  of  farm  crops  and  minerals,  52 ; 
corn  sirup  and  cornstarch,  60,  61 ; 
meat-packing,  95  ;  food  products,  95  ; 
butter,  cheese,  condensed  milk,  95- 
99;  foundry  and  machine-shop  prod- 
ucts, 100,  loi ;  canning,  loi,  102; 
cement,  103,  104;  brick  and  tile,  104, 
105;  beet  sugar,  105-109;  pearl  but- 
tons, 109,  no;  table,  145;  distribu- 
tion of  factories,  146,  147 ;  leading 
industries  in  towns  of  over  5000 
population,  147-151 

Maquoketa  River,  136 

Marengo,  fossil  in  drift  near,  20 

Marquette  and  Joliet,  French  explorers, 
expedition  on  the  Mississippi  River 
in  1673,  25-27 

Marshalltown,   leading  industries,   149 

Mason  City,  cement  plants,  104;  brick 
and  tile  plant,  105;  value  of  clay 
products  shipped  annually  from,  105  ; 
leading  industries,  150 

Meat-packing,  70-74;  Chicago  largest 
poric-packing  center  in  United  States, 
70;  Sioux  City  largest  packing  center 
in  Iowa,  70 ;  other  establishments,  74 

Melons,  66,  67 

Mills,  gypsum,  16;  lumber,  32,  33;  run 
by  water-power,  40;  flour,  62,  63; 
cereal,  64,  95 ;  cement,  104 

Minerals,  5-16;  value  compared  with 
farm  crops  and  manufactures,  52 ; 
statistics  on  coal  and  other,  155,  156 

Mines,  coal,  9-11;  lead,  12-14;  zinc, 
14;  iron,  15;  gypsum,  16 

"Mines  of  Spain,"  13,  31 

Mississippi  River,  story  of,  25-33;  ex- 
pedition of  Marquette  and  Joliet, 
25-27;  Zebulon  Pike's  explorations, 
27-31 ;  steamboats  on,  31 ;  new  steel 
barges  for,  31,  32;  Keokuk  dam,  39, 
41 ;  supplies  water  to  cities, 40;  bridge 
constructed  across,  in  1853, 123 

Missouri  River,  story  of,  33-36 ;  bluffs 
of  loess,  33 ;  flood  plain,  33 ;  Lewis 
and  Clark's  expedition,  34-35  ;  steam- 
boats on,  35  ;  supplies  water  to  Coun- 
cil Bluffs,  38,  30 

Missouri  Valley,  first  railroad  to  Sioux 
City  from,  35 

Monroe  City  considered  as  site  for 
state  capital,  47 

Mt.  Vernon,  interurban  railways  of,  use 
power  generated  in  Cedar  Rapids, 
40 


INDEX 


167 


Muscatine,  early  lumber  mills,  32; 
pearl-button  factories,  no,  147; 
stage  line  from  Iowa  City  in  1839, 
113;  first  railway  train  in  Iowa  ran 
to,  in  1855,  122;  celebration,  123; 
state  park  near,  139;  leading  indus- 
tries, 150 

Muscatine  Island  famous  for  garden 
crops,  66,  67 

Newton,  leading  industries,  150 

Oakland,  state  park  near,  138 

Oakland  Mills,  state  park  near,  138 

Oats,  acreage  compared  with  that  for 
other  crops,  56 ;  United  States  leads 
in  production,  64;  Iowa  leads  in 
United  States,  64 ;  oatmeal  mills,  64 ; 
acreage,  yield,  and  value  of  crop  in 
1919,  151 

Ocheyedan  Mound  highest  point  in 
Iowa,  157 

Oelwein,  leading  industries,  150 

Okoboji  Lake,  142 

Osage,  fruit  and  vegetables  grown  near, 
67 

Oskaloosa,  recommended  for  state  cap- 
ital, 47;  leading  industries,  150 

Ottumwa,  meat  packing,  74;  leading 
industries,  150 

Parks,  public.   See  State  parks 

Pearls,  no 

Peat  bogs,  where  found.  22 

Pella,  suggested  for  state  capital,  47 

Perry,  leading  industries.  150 

Pike,  Lieutenant  Zebulon,  explores 
Mississippi  River  in  1805,  27,  30,  31 ; 
chooses  site  for  Fort  Madison,  30; 
visits  "Mines  of  Spain,"  31 

Pillsbury's  Point,  massacre  at,  143 

Pine  Creek,  139 

Pioneers,  waiting  to  cross  Mississippi 
River,  i  ;  cross  Mississippi  River  in 
1833,  14  ;  logging  and  lumber  mills, 
32;  locate  claims  in  1855,  where 
Sioux  City  now  stands,  35;  Des 
Moines  in  1850,  48;  farm  difficul- 
ties, 55  ;  log  cabins,  70,  80 ;  sod 
houses,  81  ;  planting  and  harvesting, 
81-84;  butter-making,  97,  98;  travel 
by  river  and  trail,  111-113;  old 
schoolhouse,  126 

Pirogues,  13 

Plaster  of  Paris,  from  gypsum,  16 

Plaster,  wall,  from  gypsum,   16 

Population  of  Iowa,  i,  157,  158-161 


Pork  and  pork  products,  home  con- 
sumption and  export,  68,  71  ;  pack- 
ing, 70,  71 

Potatoes,  Irish,  66;  sweet,  66,  67; 
acreage,  yield,  and  value  of  crop  in 
1919,  151 

Poultr>',  77,  78;  egg  output,  77; 
chickens,  77;  egg  prices,  78;  geese, 
ducks,  turkeys,  78;  egg  crop  com- 
pared with  California  orange  crop,  1 53 

Power,  steam,  33  ;  water,  40,  41 ;  elec- 
tric, 40,  41 

Prairie  du  Chien,  Wisconsin,  12,  30 

Prairie  schooner,  50,  in 

Raccoon  River  and  Raccoon  Forks,  47 

Railroads,  why  many  in  state,  4;  first 
road  to  Sioux  City  in  1868,  35 ;  first 
in  state,  122,  123;  trunk  lines,  123; 
map,  124;  mileage  in  1856  and  192 1, 
157;  rank  in  mileage,  157;  taxes 
paid  by,  157 

Rainfall,  53-55 ;  average  annual,  54 

Rain  gauge,  how  to  make,  54 

Red  Oak,  leading  industries.  150 

Red  Rock,  cliff  in  Marion  County,  143 

River  basin,  defined,  25  ;  Mississippi,  27 

River  of  Buffaloes,  36 

Rivers,  25-41;  map,  37;  water  supply 
for  cities,  38,  40 ;  water  power,  40,  41 

"Riviere  des  Moingona,"  36 

Roads,  cement  sometimes  used  for  hard- 
surfaced,  104;  poor,  and  what  they 
cost,  113,  114;  good,  114-121;  how 
laid  out,  115;  township  system,  115; 
township  trustees,  115  ;  county  board 
of  supervisors,  115, 120, 121 ;  primary 
system,  1 15-120;  state  highway  de- 
partment,115,120;  road  numbers  and 
road-number  symbol,  no;  DLxie 
Highway,  119;  Jefferson  Highway, 
119;  Lincoln  Highway  no,  121; 
North  Iowa  Pike,  no;  River-to-River 
Road,  119;  Great  White  Way,  120; 
how  maintained,  120;  patrol  districts, 
120;  county  system,  115,  120,  121 

Rock,  bed,  5,  18;  scratches  on,  21 

Rock  flour,  17,  18,  21 

Sand,  hardened  into  sandstone,  8;  an- 
nual value  of  (and  gravel),  156 

Sandstone,  how  made,  8;  fossils  in,  8; 
Pictured  Rocks,  cliff  of,  141 ;  bluffs 
cut  in  Des  Moines  River,  143 

Schools,  126-135;  Brush  College,  first 
school  in  Iowa,  126,  129;  not  free 
until    1838,    129;    lands    given    by 


1 68 


IOWA  STATE  GEOGRAPHY 


United  States  government,  120;  con- 
solidated, 120,  130;  one-room,  130; 
State  University,  130,  133  ;  State  Col- 
lege of  Agriculture,  130,  133;  State 
Teachers  College,  130,  133;  for  Blind 
at  Vinton,  133;  for  Deaf  at  Council 
Bluffs,  133;  vocational,  134;  part- 
time,  134;  attendance  in  1Q20,  135; 
annual  cost,  13s;  supported  pri- 
vately or  by  religious  denominations, 
135;  enrollment  in  1920,  157 

Shale,  fossils  in,  8;  how  made,  8,  10; 
spoken  of  as  slate,  10;  used  in  mak- 
ing Portland  cement  and  brick,  104 

Sheep,  74,  75 ;  mutton,  wool,  sheep- 
skins, 75 ;  number  and  value  in  1919, 
152;  types  and  breeds,  155 

Shenandoah,  leading  industries,  150 

Shot  tower,  for  making  bullets,  14 

Shot  well,  14 

Skunk  River,  138 

Settlers,  early.    See  Pioneers 

Silo,  corn  in,  58,  90;  pictures,  60,  98 

Sioux  City,  located  in  1853,  35;  monu- 
ment to  Charles  Floyd,  35;  growth 
of,  35;  first  steamboat  to,  in  1856, 
35;  first  railroad  in  1868,  35;  chief 
packing  center  of  Iowa,  70;  stock- 
yards, 70,  71 ;  packing  plants  rank 
sixth  in  United  States,  72 

Sirup,  corn,  factories  for  making,  60; 
process,  60,  61 ;  uses  of,  60 

Soils,  Iowa,  how  made,  17-24;  deep, 
rich,  porous,  52;  for  corn,  57 

Sorghum,  used  in  molasses-making,  106 

Spirit  Lake,  142 

Stage  line,  Iowa  City  to  Muscatine,  1 13 

State  parks,  135-143;  Board  of  Con- 
servation, 135,  136,  139;  Devil's 
Backbone,  136;  Boneyard  Hollow 
and  Woodman's  Hollow,  136,  137; 
near  Farmington  and  Keosauqua, 
138;  Lepley  Park,  138;  near  Oak- 
land and  Oakland  Mills,  138 ;  Roose- 
velt Park,  138;  Wild  Cat  Den,  139 

Steamboats,  on  Mississippi  River  in 
1859,  31;  on  Missouri  River,  35;  on 
Des  Moines  River,  36,  38;  on  the 
Iowa  and  Cedar  rivers,  113 

Stockyards,  70-72 ;  Sioux  City,  70,  71 

Strawberry  Point,  large  creamery,  99 

Sugar  (beet),  factories,  106-109;  how 
made,  107,  108;  by-products,  108 

Sugar  (corn),  factories,  60;  how  made, 
60,  61 ;  by-products,  60,  61 

Surface,  how  influenced,  8,  19,  21-23; 
well  adapted  to  farming,  52,  53 


Swine,  68-71,  153,  154;  relation  to 
corn  crop,  68;  Iowa  first  in  produc- 
tion, 68;  home  consumption  and  ex- 
port, 68;  bacon  hogs,  69,  153,  154; 
lard  hogs,  69,  70,  153;  slaughtering 
and  packing,  70,  71 ;  skim  milk  fed 
to,  98;  .number  and  value  in  1919, 
152 ;  types  and  breeds,  153,  154 

Teachers  College,  State,  at  Cedar  Falls, 
130, 133 

Temperature,  records  of  Iowa  Weather 
and  Crop  Service,  55 ;  lowest  and 
highest  on  record  for  Iowa,  55 

Tile,  drain,  104,  105;  plant  at  Mason 
City,  105;  annual  value,  156 

Towboats,  for  steel  barges,  32 

Township  trustees  responsible  for 
township  road  system,  115 

Transportation,  111-125;  in  early  days 
by  wagons,  boats,  and  stage,  iii- 
113;  automobiles  and  good  roads, 
114-121;  railroads,  122-125 

Union,  Lepley  Park  near,  138 
University  of  Iowa,  State,  established, 

130;  old  Capitol  building,  133 
Upper  Iowa  River,  or  Oneota,  141 

Valleys,  how  made,  8;  defined,  25 

Vegetables,  66,  67 

Vinton,  State  School  for  Blind  at,  133 

Water  supply  from  rivers,  38,  40 
Water  power  furnished  by  rivers,  40, 

41 

Waterloo,  meat  packing,  74;  steam- 
boats in  early  days  to,  113;  cream 
separator  factory,  146;  leading  in- 
dustries, 151 

Waukon,  iron  deposit  near,  15 

Weather  and  Crop  Service,  record,  55 

Webster  City,  leading  industries,  151 

West  Okoboji  Lake,  143 

Wheat,  acreage  compared  with  that  for 
other  crops,  56 ;  acreage  in  North 
Dakota,  57;  Iowa's  rank,  61;  spring 
and  winter,  61,  62  ;  ground  into  flour, 
62,  63 ;  acreage,  yield,  and  value  of 
crop  in  1919, 151 

Wilson,  James,  ex-Secretary  of  Agri- 
culture, "Tama  Jim,"  94 

Wilton,  early  railroad  from,  to  Mus- 
catine, 122 

Wisconsin  River,  26,  141 

Zinc,  how  deposited,  11;  mining,  14 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  AT   LOS  ANGELES 

THE  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below 


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INTERUBRARY 


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